You're Everything
by It'sGonnaBeTotallyAwesome
Summary: Life. It's a whirlwind of joy, tears, happiness, jealousy and love. However, these six paticular teenagers never really expected to be included in the 'love' part, much less with the people they end up with... James/Lily S/D R/E Series of One-Shots
1. She Likes It Better That Way

**First Harry Potter fanficiton published, so I hope you enjoy! This will be the first in a series of one-shots, as I mentioned in the summary. I'm not exactly sure how long it will go on, but we'll just see. :)**

** Happy reading! :)**

**She Likes It Better That Way**

"_'Cause every time that I feel like I'm ridin' so high, feel like I'm on top of the world, the bitch just keeps tearin' me down - it's got nothin' to do with me, it's not even you, you see, it's part of my chemistry, this demon is killin' me, and oh Christ, it's fillin' me - it's this jealousy . . . _"

- Darren Criss

Lily was having a wonderful time. Really, she was. Wallace was a perfect gentleman and they were having a lovely conversation over a table at the Three Broomsticks. He liked Potions; so did she. He liked to read; so did she. He liked winter; so did she. He liked to have long, in depth conversation; so did she.

Therefore, she was having a delightful time. Until James showed up and ruined everything. Her and James had had a love-hate sort of relationsip ever since first-year and by seventh year, it still hadn't changed. However, James had been acting rather strange lately . . . like he cared for her more than just a . . . whatever she was to him. And the thought freaked her out, so she tried not to think about it . . . but when she did, she couldn't help but to give a little smile. But it wasn't because she liked him back, of course. . . .

It started off innocent enough - or as innocent as it could be - when he popped up out of no where and pulled up a chair beside their table.

"Hey, how's it goin', guys?" he chirped contentedly, putting his forearms on the table.

Lily gaped at him and his stupid, rediculously mussed up black hair and his stupid, bright hazel eyes and his stupid, adorable glasses. Lily could tell, as she stared at him, that he was hiding something in his expression with a bitter smile. Wallace raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Er, hello, mate." he greeted him awkwardly.

"And how's the date coming?" he prodded, grinning tightly.

Wallace opened his mouth confusedly to speak, but Lily sighed, giving him an apoogetic look, then glared at James.

"We were just finished," she said wearily, then turned to Wallace. "I'm sorry, Wallace, but I have to go - this was really fun."

With one a last smile, she dragged James out of the Three Broomsticks harshly by the arm. She slammed the door shut behind them and faced him in the dim and snowy late afternoon, fuming.

"James Christopher, _what_ gave you the _audacity_ to barge in on _my_ date and act like a complete _nitwit_?"

He seemed completely unfazed by her rant and stared at her with an impatient expression until she was finished.

"Right. You done?"

She widened her eyes. "_James_ - "

"How's Mr. Wallace Wilson Wilderby?" he asked nonchalantly, rocking back and forth on his heels.

She sucked in a huge breath of annoyance. "He's just _fine_, James, unlike _you_. What is _wrong_ with you?"

While Lily was thoroughly annoyed, James, on the other hand, was completely enraged. Not that Lily could tell, or so he hoped. He couldn't really pinpoint what exactly was wrong, but he just felt like cursing the Wallace bloke a good few times and then grabbing Lily and kissing the daylights out of her. He didn't really know why. All he knew was that he had to do something about it.

"Its got nothing to do with me, Lily." he said simply, avoiding her eyes and rumpling his hair.

She seemed at lost for words for a moment as she opened and closed her mouth in frustration.

"It's got _everything _to do with you," she finally exclaimed, "You always seem to barge into my life at the worst possible moments!"

"What was I supposed to do?" he scoffed, "He was boring."

"As opposed to . . . ?"

He grinned. "Why, me, of course."

She glared at him. "James, what did I do to deserve your unwelcome disruptance?"

He let out a chuckle, swallowing. "It's got nothing to do with you, Lily."

She raised an eyebrow. "It's Wallace?"

"What? No. God, no. . . . " he said, then frowned thoughtfully. "Well, sort of. It's more like . . . well, actually - no, it actually has everything to do with you."

She stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"I . . . " Then it clicked and he frowned to himself, thinking.

She stared at him, until finally she could take it anymore.

"For once, could you explain yourself to me?" she asked, somewhat desperately.

James looked like a lunatic, if she could describe his appearance in one word. His hair was a complete mess - almost every piece was in the exact place it wasn't supposed to be in and his eyes were huge saucers as they met hers. He swallowed loudly and she started to worry, shrinking into her coat.

"I'm . . . I think I'm jealous." he said in realization.

The next episode of her actions seemed like somewhat of an out-of-body experience. She stared at him, eyes almost as big as his, and he looked frightened as he stood there, looking like a little child.

Then, she threw her arms around him and hugged him as hard as she could. He was rigid with surprise and didn't move until, after a moment, she let go of him hastily.

"I, um, well . . . I don't really know what to say, I suppose . . . " she trailed off lamely, feeling the need to smack herself on the forehead.

She smoothed the ends of her coat in attempt to sooothe her embaressment and looked anywhere but him pointedly. She was about to open her mouth and announce she was going to leave, she suddenly felt something on her lips. It took her a while to realize it was James' lips and her eyes popped open wide. That is, before she put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him back.

The thoughts that went through her head are as follows: James liked Transfiguration; she hated it. He liked Quidditch; she was bored by it. He liked spring; she hated it because of allergies. He liked to goof around; she rolled her eyes at him when he did so.

They were very much different in many ways. But, for some bewildering reason, she liked it better that way.


	2. I Think It's Kinda Cute

_A/N: So this one is kinda short, but I still think it's cute. :) I realize Remus is a bit OOC, being sort of - forward, but, you know, he _is_ a Marauder. ;)_

_ Happy reading! :)_

**I Think It's Kinda Cute**

Emmeline stared with narrowed eyes from afar as the stupid, giggling, extremely beautiful _whore _giggled and put her hand on Remus' knee for what must've been the twentieth time. From her place across the library, it was sort of hard to see, but she caught what she needed. She bit her lip hard to keep from screaming and forced her eyes onto her Divination homework.

_It's proven that when Saturn and Jupiter align . . . Will she stop with THE KNEE THING?_

She hadn't realized she let out a groan until the people around her gave her strange looks. She was tempted to growl at them, but she realized how deranged that was and hastily bowed her head. She still had to bang her fist in frustration, though, when she still couldn't focus on what happened when Saturn and Jupiter aligned.

A couple minutes later, her nose was touching the book in stubborn concentration when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She yelped and ended up almost falling out of her chair in surprise, but Remus' voice startled her into sanity.

"Are you alright, Emma?" he asked, and she could tell that he was trying not to laugh.

She scrambled to stand in front of him and tried not to be affected by how handsome he was for once. She put her hands on her hips and was completely aware of how much of a mess she was - her hair felt like it was sticking up everywhere, her eyes were probably startling wide and her school robes were frumpled. He put his fingers to his mouth and his eyes danced with amusement as he took in her appearance.

She sniffed. "What?" she snapped defensively.

He raised his eyebrows, shrugging. "Nothing, nothing, you just look a little . . . " he trailed off, waving a hand over her, "frazzled."

She swallowed and frowned, shaking her head unconvincingly. "Nope. No, I'm completely . . . not frazzled."

He bit his lip and shook with silent laughter. She ignored him pointedly and plopped back down into her chair.

"If you'll excuse me, _Remus_, I'm trying to work on homework." she huffed.

"Emma," he said gently, still smiling as he sat down beside her, "You want to tell me what's wrong?"

She met his gaze evenly. "No."

He nodded, leaning back. "Alright. Well, you want to hear about Kelly then?"

"_That's_ her name?" she scoffed, "What a horrid name. It's generic and . . . and not - not . . . " she trailed off lamely, failing miserably at insulting the Ravenclaw.

He stared at her, looking half-amused and half-shocked. "Right. Well, you want to know what I think?" he asked, putting his forearms on the table and leaning toward her.

She instinctively leaned away. "What?"

"I think you're jealous," he replied gleefully, smiling coyly. "And I also think it's kinda cute. You know I'm not interested in her at all, right?"

She froze and slowly looked up at him. "You - you did that on purpose? To make me jealous?"

He frowned innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She gaped at him. "_Remus - Lupin_, you are _vile_ and _arrogant_ and - and _stupid_ and I _never_ want to see you _again_!" she exclaimed as she hastily grabbed papers and ink bottles and pens, trying to bolt out of the library as she did so.

A moment later, she felt a hand on her arm and looked up at Remus with helpless eyes. He half-smiled affectionately.

"Stay with me."

She swallowed. "Er - "

"Please?" he pleaded quietly, "I know I'm not much of a catch, but there's no way I'm letting _you _get away."

He smiled and shrugged half-heartedly. She took a deep breath and tried to supress her smile.

_Dear mother of Merlin, does he practice those puppy-dog eyes in the mirror?_

After a moment, she obliged - and she'd never agreed to anything so whole-heartedly in her life.


	3. It's War

**It's War**

"_You're a fallin' star, you're the getaway car, you're the line in the sand when I go too far, you're the swimmin' pool on an August day, and you're the perfect thing to say; and you play it coy, but it's kinda cute - when you smile at me, you know exactly what you do; baby, don't pretend that you don't know it's true, 'cause you can see it when I look at you. . . ._"

- Michael Buble

It was war.

In Sirius' opinion, it was Dorcas' fault - _she_ was the one who was flirting with Oliver Krueger in Potions, even though she'd denied it. He had to retaliate somehow, obviously - so he did the same with Vivian Flimsby in Transfiguration. This went on for about a week or so, neither giving up.

Now they really stepped it up. They were at seperate tables across the room at the Three Broomsticks, however they could see each other perfectly. Sirius hadn't really wanted it this way, but it was the only table left for him and his date, Terry. Dorcas was on a date with that ruddy awful David Waters and he whipped his napkin harder than needed before putting it on his lap as she laughed at something he said.

They met each others eyes and both gave the other sickly sweet smiles, challenging each other.

"Sirius?" Terry asked, frowning. "Are you alright? Who are you looking at?"

"No one," he assured her quickly, "No one at all."

She gave him a quizzical look, but let it go as Madam Georgina took their orders. Sirius inconspicuously kept his eyes on Dorcas as he ordered but forced himself not to be so God damn obssessive. He directed his eyes onto Terry as she babbled on about some "totally cute and famous singer" and tried to keep it together.

Five seconds later, he found he couldn't take it any longer and looked over at Dorcas, who was already pursing her lips disapprovingly at them. He smiled sarcastically at her again and she scowled, turning back to Waters. He turned back to his date in turn, dread filling his stomach as he found she was rambling about some new purse she'd just bought.

Dorcas was in misery. Why would he pick _Terry Simon_, out of all people? She was horrid and completely stuck up. Well, she hadn't picked a better person herself - all David could talk about was himself and how many times he'd beaten Sirius at Quidditch. Which, so far, were only two very drawn-out stories that weren't very grand. She'd also been there both times and knew the real story.

The real version: Once, David had just gotten hit by a bludger and was disoriented, so he flew right into a distracted Sirius. Sirius wobbled for a while, but quickly stabilized. The second was when David accidently hit a bludger Sirius' way and it hit him in the shoudler. Sirius quickly recovered and kept flying.

David's version: A bludger brushed him, one that Sirius had beaten toward him, so, naturally, David flew his way and bumped into him on purpose. Sirius nearly fell off his broom. David had been so sly, however, that Madam Hooch didn't catch it, of course. The second was that David was across the field from Sirius when he hit the bludger his way, but David was so precise that it was flying right toward him and -

"And he thought he could get away, but I was _so accurate_ - "

"David," Dorcas interrupted, trying not to sound completely bored. "Er - how long does this story last . . . approximately?"

He blinked. "What?"

She put her head in her hand. "I can't do this, David. I'm sorry." she decided, heaving a huge sigh as she stood.

"What?" he repeated dumbly, furrowing his brow.

She pressed her lips into a hard line. "I - cannot - do - this. Understand?" she said slowly.

He blinked rapidly in disbelief and she shook her head in exasperation. "Nice talking to you, David." she lied, stalking out of the restaurant. She forced herself not to look at Sirius as she headed through the door and out on the snowy streets of Hogsmeade.

An even worse dread filled her than being with David when she realized Sirius was still on his date - and as far as she knew, he wasn't planning on leaving.

She blew it. She didn't know how or when - maybe with that stupid bloke Oliver Krueger whom she was yelling at that one day? Sirius thought she was _flirting with him_, the idiotic prat - but either way, Dorcas had no chance with Sirius now. She never should've gotten involved with the nitwit in the first place.

She sat down at a bench across from the Three Broomsticks and put her chin in her hands, the option of sitting there forever and turning into an ice cube becoming more and more inviting.

Meanwhile, Sirius looked like he was about to combust as he stared in helpless desperation at Dorcas' empty seat. What the bloody hell was he supposed to do now? It didn't seem like Terry had an intention of leaving, and he couldn't just walk out on his date - unlike _somebody_.

"Sirius, are you even listening to me?" Terry asked, frowning.

Sirius snapped his head up to look at her and nodded. "Of course. You're talking about the purse."

"No, actually, I was talking about my trip to New York last summer," she corrected, pursing her lips. She seemed to contemplate something as Sirius made no attempt to defend himself and finally said, "I know you've been staring at Dorcas Meadowes this whole time. And I know you just went on this date to make her jealous. I notice these things," she said to Sirius' shocked expression, "I also know she left, so go get her."

Sirius sat in shocked silence for a couple moments. "Really?"

She rolled her eyes. "Get ready for an angry girl, though."

"Oh, she's always like that," she said excitedly, standing, "Thanks a lot, Terry."

She waved it off. "Don't mention it, Black. Don't blow it this time."

He jogged out of the Three Broomsticks with a bounce in his step - but not missing a beat as he glared at a very confused David Waters - and walked out into the snowy outside. He looked around with a grin for Dorcas, but only after a few moments did he notice she sitting right there, staring at him with a bored expression.

"How was the date?" she asked when he noticed her.

"Bloody awful. And you?"

"Same." she grumbled.

He paused before sitting beside her on the bench.

"This was stupid." he decided.

"Yes, it was." she agreed.

"I'm sorry."

"Me, too."

"I was jealous."

"Me, too."

"I want to be with you."

"Me, too. . . . Wait, what?"

She looked over at him in shock and he furrowed his brow.

"Why do you look so surprised? Of course I want to be with you."

"I . . . I thought I blew my chances." she muttered, staring intently at her feet.

He looked at her like she was crazy. "Are you mental? I've been gone for you since fourth year." he scoffed.

She looked over at him and smiled. "Well, then. I want to be with you, too."

"Good." he murmured, smiling.

Then, they leaned over and shared a kiss beneath the starry, snowy night.


	4. We Were Flabberghasted

_A/N: I apologize for the extreme shortness of this chapter, I just had to study for a rediculously huge exam and . . . yeah, that's my pathetic excuse. :)_

_ Happy reading!_

**We Were Flabberghasted**

The three boys and their girlfriends sat in the Gryffindor common room, somewhat alone, considering the late hour. However this did not seem to affect James and Sirius, as they started telling about what had happened when they'd gone to James' house over the Christmas break. Remus, Lily, Dorcas and Emmeline watched it bewilderment as James and Sirius told their tale.

". . . . And then dad said, 'Sirius, you can live here'," James started dramatically, "and we just sat there, flabberghasted - "

"Flabberghasted." Sirius agreed in a mock-solemn voice.

"And then we started jumping around with glee - " James continued, demonstrating the 'jumping around with glee'.

"With very much glee." Sirius added, joining his best friend in the jumping.

"And so now Sirius and I will be living in rooms across the hall from each other in perfect harmony." James concluded, slowly bringing his hands together to demonstrate said harmony.

"Very harmonious harmony." Sirius emphasized, mimicking James' pose.

There was a moment of silence.

"That was weird." Emmeline decided.

"I don't know whether to be shocked, amused or scared." Remus frowned.

"All of the above, I think." Lily mused.

"And we hope you two are very happy together," Dorcas smirked, "Sounds like you're pretty serious."

Sirius smirked, lazing over to sit by his girlfriend on the couch.

"Yeah, you've got competition." James warned Dorcas, wiggling his eyesbrows at her.

"Careful, Prongs. She's actually quite violent." Sirius half-joked, raising an eyesbrow at his best friend.

"What's with those nicknames, anyway?" Lily asked, furrowing her brow.

The three boys exchanged wide-eyed glances and shook their heads with indifferent frowns.

"Nothing."

"Long story."

"Irrelevant."


	5. The Changely Wangely Room

**The Changely Wangely Room**

James stared ahead at the fire as he sat at a table in the Gryffindor common room, pouting in misery. After a huge sigh, he banged his head down on the table. A moment later, a muffled 'ow' come from the tower of books that was obscuring his head.

Despite the books blocking most of his head, James' best friend Sirius could recognize that messy head of black hair anywhere. He smirked as he saw James' present predicament and halted beside him. When James didn't notice him standing there, he cleared his throat pointedly.

"Am I interrupting something?" he inquired.

James' head lifted swiftly to look at Sirius. Upon realizing who it was, he groaned and smacked his head down again, only to recieve another pained and irritated 'ow'.

Sirius snorted and sat down at the table, pushing the stack of books to the side so they could see each other.

"You had another arguement with Lily, didn't you?" Sirius guessed, raising his eyebrows.

James lifted his head again and nodded, looking on the brink of an emotional breakdown.

Sirius scoffed. "Merlin, at this rate, you'll be thrown out a window, mangled and broken, by next week."

James grimaced. "That was poetic and disturbing at the same time."

Sirius grinned. "Thanks."

"And why am I the one being mangled and broken?" he complained.

"Because Lily could take you any day." Sirius answered simply, half-joking.

"Only because I'm a softie and couldn't actually hit her." James protested, suddenly happy as he hugged himself to prove his 'softness'.

"Alright, then," Sirius said wearily at his friend's oddities, "Let's hear about this argument."

"It wasn't my fault." James said hoftily.

"Of course it wasn't." Sirius said sarcastically.

"Don't patronize me." James accused, scowling.

"Don't lie." Sirius shot back, his eyebrows raised.

James scowled deeper, and then, after a beat, devled into his story.

James and Lily stood on either side of the room, glaring at each other. The room is something James and the other Marauders discovered a while back, and they called it the Changely Wangley Room. No, not really - they didn't really have a name for it, so they just called it a different name every time.

The room had transfigured itself to have an intimate setting, with dim lighting, a table for two and a fire burning. It was working out grand for the two - until, at some point in their conversaiton, Lily and James had gotten into their usual arguement.

"_You_ started it!" James protested

"Oh, very mature, James." she scoffed, crossing her arms angrily around herself.

"It's true!" James snapped, bristling at being called immature. Even if it was a tiny bit true. Okay, very true. In some senses.

"Actually, James, _you_ started it, if we're being technical."

"How did _I_ start it?"

"By being your usual idiotic, daft, insensitive, clueless and _bloody infuriating self_!"

"You know what?" James chuckled humorlessly, throwing his arms in the air in exasperation, "Maybe this isn't working."

Lily hesitated, but only briefly, pressing her lips together in a hard line. "Damn it, James, then why did we even do this in the first place?"

James grimaced. "No clue, Evans."

Lily turned her head away, his cold demeanor hurting her more than it should have. She sniffed, stubbornly holding back tears as she hurriedly gathered her things.

"Well, then, I guess that's all that needed to be said." she said stiffly, tears finally escaping despite her best efforts.

"Oh - oh, Jesus, Lily," James groaned when he realized her crying, "Lily, please - don't cry. I hate it when you cry."

She didn't answer as she stalked toward the door. He stopped her, gently grabbing her shoudler.

"James, I need some space. And, obviously, so do you." she murmured, walking out of the room depsite her hand on her shoulder.

"Then she left and I've been a bloody zombie ever since - two days, Padfoot! Two days I've been like this! I can't go on." James mumbled melodramatically, staring into space with huge eyes.

"Snap out of it, you insufferable prat."

James pouted. "You're _not_ helping my confidence here."

"Yes, well, it's for the better," he said breezily, waving it off, "Now, what you need to do is make a huge romantic gesture and take all the blame. That way, the women think they're guilt-free, which they love, but you're also secretly winning since you still blame her for everything."

James paused. "That's the worst advice I've ever recieved."

"Have anything better?"

"Nope."

"Well, then, what are you going to do?"

"Sit here and mope?"

"Not an option."

"Why not?"

"Because . . . she's coming over here."

James whipped around in panic and rumpled his hair instinctively. Indeed, Lily was stalking over to their table, a determined look on her face. James whipped back around to Sirius and gripped the table, a crazed look on his face.

"Oh, jeez," James weezed, "What do I do? _What do I do_?"  
"Shut up and calm down." Sirius said out of the corner of his mouth as Lily walked up.

"Hello, James," she said stiffly, then in a lighter tone, "Hey, Sirius."

"I got a 'hey'." Sirius gloated quietly. James kicked him under the table.

"James, can I talk to you?" she asked quietly, swallowing.

Sirius raised his eyebrows at this and watched them walk over to a corner of the common room. He put a hand over his mouth as they talked animatedly, first angrily, then less and less. Finally, it became more deflated and they hugged each other. Sirius sighed, shaking his head as he turned to the stacks of books James had been reading. He laughed out loud when he saw he'd been reading 'Relationships for Rookies'.

"Oh, James," Sirius chuckled, shaking his head in a pitying way. "You are so whipped."


	6. It's Young Love

**It's Young Love**

Albus Dumbledore walked through the halls of Hogwarts with a cheerful smile on his face. Christmas always brought him joy, especially when the students were in the festive mood. It was a time to forgive and, in the present case, forget, considering the atrocities of the war that was raging on. Although Dumbledore was usually plagued with these thoughts, he chose that today, it being Christmas Eve, to enjoy the moment.

The elaborate decorations filled the corridors, which Dumbldore added to as he walked - a little holly here, a little mistletoe there. As he happily bounced by one paticular window, he spotted something that caught his eye. Two unusual dark forms stood out in the stark white snow that blanketed the ground, and, as Dumbldore backtracked to get a better look, he found it was Lily Evans and James Potter, two seventh years. He had heard through the grapevine that they were a couple, and he must say they made a lovely one. They seemed to be the only two to dare brave the bitter weather, but it seemed they were having a grand time. They were by the lake and the sun set behind the them.

The two Gryffindors were facing each other, both hands entwined, and they were laughing. Then, James' smile started to fade and Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, turning his whole body to face the pair now. He knew he should keep to his own business, but Christmas just brought out the little - and more feminine - boy in him, and he was curious.

James then pulled somehting out of his pocket and knelt down on one knee, opening the tiny box as he did so. Dumbledore vaguely saw the glint of a ring and Lily covered her mouth, looking completely shocked. James said something - Dumbleodre guessed along the lines of 'will you marry me?' - and Lily nodded vigorously. James grinned and slid the ring on her finger. Then, he threw the box aside and they both embraced each other at the same time. However, it seemed Lily had the stronger pounce, since she tackled James to the ground, both laughing.

Dumbledore fought the urge to squeal, tears brimming his shining blue eyes. He did, however, clap his hands delicately, shaking his head.

"Headmaster, may I ask what on earth you are doing?"

Dumbledore turned his head briefly to see a slightly bewildered Professor McGonagall standing there before turning back to the scene at hand.

"Oh, Professor McGonagall. It's young love," he sighed happily, wiping tears beneath his half-moon spectacles. "They will make such beautiful children."

He sniffed once before continuing his way down the corridor, adding mistletoe after mistletoe to the decor eagerly.

After all, love was in the air.


	7. Keep Telling Yourself That, Prongs

**Keep Telling Yourself That, Prongs**

Remus was lounged on the couch in the Gryffindor common room, reading a wonderful book on Merlin and his adventures. He was actually quite content, with the fire crackling, the snow lightly faling outside.

However, what also had him in a better mood than usual was that he was waiting for James to come back from his date. Not just any date - a date he specifically went on to make Lily Evans jealous. The only problem was that the girl he chose to go out with was, to put it into a few words, possessive, annoying, and more than a little frightening. The Hufflepuff, Clara, had been all too happy to go on the date, though. Remus knew it was a spur-of-the-moment thing for James, when he knew Lily would hear - Clara had no knowledge of this, however.

Lily had heard about the date, alright, and only managed to raise her eyebrows in surprise and shrugged, which Remus was guessing wasn't the reaction James had been hoping for.

Remus also guessed Lily was faking her nonchalant attitude. Partly because he was good at reading people and partly because he spied her sitting across the common room, tapping her foot as she unconvincingly tried to do her homework.

Psh. Remus saw right through that. James and Sirius did it all the time.

Remus was in the middle of reading a tale about Merlin slaying a dragon when James burst into the common room, looking extremely crazed. His hair was - if possible - more disheveled than normal, like he'd just flew on his broomstick at full speed to get to the common room, and his clothes were all lopsided, his scarf much longer on one side than the other.

Remus frowned in attempt to hold back his laughter, but failed miserably as James' frazzled eyes found his. Remus stole a look at Lily, who was glancing up at the two with a curious expression every few seconds. James didn't seem to notice, though, his attention on Remus. Oh, James, if only he noticed these things, he wouldn't be so clueless with women all the time.

"_She's absolutely crazy_!" James exclaimed when he came near enough to Remus, who was staring at him with a nonchalant expression, his eyebrows raised.

Remus calmly closed his book and motioned for James to sit in an armchair by the fire as he put his arms behind his head lazily. He had a sudden urge to mock James - or patronize him - and see if he would notice. Probably not in this fragile state, but it'd still be funny.

"Okay, calm down - start from the beginning." he urged soothingly, getting comofrtable in the couch - he had a feeling he was going to be there for a while.

"_No_," James hissed, "I don't want to talk about it - I just - I just never want to see that girl again! I'm going to have nightmares about a tiny Canadian Muggle singer named Justin Bieber for weeks! Weeks! The woman's obssessed!"

Remus frowned understandingly, nodding. "I see," Remus said in what he hoped sounded like a therapist talking to a patient, "Well, did you just sit and nod as I instructed?"

James frowned. "Yes. But then she got frustarted with me and - ugh. It was horrible, Moony. Never again, you hear me? I vow to you - never again. I might even consider going gay after that."

A couple people turned and gave them weird looks, but niether Gryffindor seemed to care - Remus because he thought it was extremely amusing and James because, well, he wasn't nessecarily paying attention.

"And I will stand by you - as, er, as a friend - whatever you do, alright?" Remus grunted awkwardly, desperately trying not to laugh.

"Right," James said distractedly, staring into space, "No, nevermind. I will never turn gay."

"Good man." Remus muttered, then coughed to hide his laughter.

Lily Evans chose that moment to walk by and James' wide eyes focused on her. She smiled tightly at him as she strode past, victory enimating off her.

"Have fun with you're date, Potter?" she asked sarcastically, "I'm guessing no, since you just announced to the whole common room you're considering homosexuality. You should've known, asking Clara Pinchknot. If you'd asked _me_, we would've had - "

She stopped short, coming to a halt at the foot of the girls dormitory stairs. James head snapped up to look at her, his smile slowly widening as his eyes lost the panicked look they ahd before, smugness now taking over. She slowly meet his gaze, gulping. Remus watched on with immense amusement, covering his mouth to keep his laughter at bay once again.

"What was that, Evans?"

"Nothing, Potter. How about you go find some other girl - or should I say _boy_ to pester?" she spat, acting harsher due to her previous comment.

James wasn't fazed. He stood and sidled over to her, where she stood frozen, clutching her books to her chest.

"No, no. I could've _sworn_ I heard you say you wanted me to ask you out."

"I didn't technically say that." she muttered, backing up against the wall as James came closer.

Remus raised his eyebrows, his lips quivering suspiciously.

"Don't try to fool me, Lily."

"Oh, shut it, Potter." she snapped hastily, rushing up the stairs as he came too close for her liking.

James watched her go before turning and walking back to Remus. He sighed and stretched his arms above his head, a huge grin on his face.

"Nailed it." he said smugly before he swaggered off to the boys dorms.

Remus snorted, picking his book back up. "Keep telling yourself that, Prongs," he murmured, shaking his head, "Keep telling yourself that."


	8. It's Not Like I Need You

**It's Not Like I Need You**

"You what?" Sirius asked after a moment, bewildered.

Him and Dorcas sat by the lake on one Saturday afternoon and they were having a lovely time. Then, Dorcas dropped the bomb.

"You heard me, Sirius," Dorcas said, narrowing her eyes, "Why do you look so shocked?"

"Dorcas, I just didn't think _you_ - I didn't think you'd want to join the Order of the Pheonix." Sirius explained lamely, frowning.

"Why _not_?" she asked, her temper already starting to simmer.

"I don't think it's . . . the best decision."

"Sirius. _You're_ joining," she said dryly, not liking where this was going one bit. "Just tell me why you don't want me to."

"Fine. You won't be safe, and I don't think you could handle it. There, I said it - happy?"

"No, I'm not happy, _Sirius_," she exclaimed, standing and gathering her things into her bag hastily. "What possessed you to believe you had _any_ say in what I can and can't handle?"

"I'm just worried about you!" Sirius said in frustration, watching as his girlfriend strode away from him angrily.

"Well, don't be!" she yelled over her shoulder.

He sighed and stood, bounding toward her. He caught up to her and jogged backwards in front of her, scowling.

"You of all people should know that I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." she ranted further, glaring.

Sirius stopped suddenly and Dorcas stormed right into him. She stumbled backward with an annoyed noise and tried to swerve by him, but he put his hands on her thin shoulders.

"Dorcas, you don't know what the real world is really like - "

"Neither do you!"

"It's different with me."

"Right," she spat, sneering as she shrugged his hands off her shoulders, "so you can go off and put yourself in mortal peril, leaving me worried sick, but you're too _cowardly _for the roles to be reversed sometimes?"

Sirius stayed quiet, glaring at her with real anger now. "It's. Too. Dangerous."

"You do not have a say in it, whether you like it or not."

He paused for a second, then cracked a bitter smile. "Wow," he chuckled humorlessly, stepping away from her. "You really are pathetic, Dorcas. You think pushing people away will make you stronger, don't you? Well, it makes you weaker. Trust me, I know from experience."

"Don't act like you know me, Sirius." Dorcas hissed, but she knew he was right.

"Oh, but I know you all too well," he countered, meeting her eyes coldly, and for once, Dorcas could see how he could be a Black. "You're so afraid that you'd rather have no one than have all the people that love you now. That's how it works with you, doesn't it? Well, fine. Maybe I should just back down now rather than waste my time later."

"THEN GO!" Dorcas screamed, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's not like I need you more than I need anyone else!"

"YOU WON'T _LET_ YOURSELF NEED ANYONE!" he bellowed.

Dorcas wanted to say something, but she found she couldn't and just stood there, deflated. She watched Sirius' chest heave and his eyes slowly lost the coldness they'd had before. She couldn't even move as the tears fell freely down her cheeks. Sirius gradually seemed to come to his senses and he finally met her eyes with his wide, disbelieving ones.

"Dorcas, I - "

He took a step toward her, but she recoiled harshly.

"Stay away from me." she whispered.

She ran past him, trying and failing to repress her sobs as she sprinted toward the girls dormitories. Sirius stood frozen in place, not really believing what he'd just said. He noticed plenty of people staring openly at him, their eyes wide, and he scowled.

"Enjoy the show, did you?" he snapped and they quickly went along with what they were doing.

He plopped down onto the ground right there and put his head in his hands. He didn't care who was watching or where he was - he just wanted Dorcas back.

And for the first time in many years, Sirius Black began to cry.


	9. Lean On Me

_A/N: This is a continuation of the previous chapter, with Sirius and Dorcas' big fight. :'( But there will be no more continuation of this paticular scenario after this, just so you're aware._

**Lean On Me**

"_Lean on me when you're not strong, I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on, for it won't be long before I'm gonna need somebody to lean on. . . ._"

- Michael Bolton

Dorcas burst into her dormitory. Her sobs had luckily subsided, but tears still ran freely down her face. Lily was there, writing a Transfiguration essay and when she saw her friend's state, she gasped, leaping up from her chair.

"Dorcas, what's - " Lily started.

"Sirius." Dorcas choked out, putting her hand to her mouth.

"Oh, Dorcas." Lily murmured, coming forward to embrace her friend.

"I should've never gone out with that prat in the first place," Dorcas breathed into Lily's shoulder, her eyes sending death glares to the wall in front of her. "I told you that I shouldn't, remember? The first day he asked me out."

"Yes, I remember." said Lily softly.

"He acts like he knows everyone so well, but he doesn't know _anything_. And - and when he was yelling at me," Dorcas whispered, then leaned back to look at her best friend, her voice distant, "It was like he was a different person, like he really _was_ part of the Black family."

"Dorcas." Lily said, half shocked, half scornful.

"I'm not just saying that, Lily," Dorcas protested quietly, "It was scary."

Lily led Dorcas over to her small bed and they sat down as Dorcas stared into space, reminiscing on her and Sirius' dreadful fight.

_"I'm just worried about you!"_

_ "Well, don't be. . . . "_

_ "It's. Too. Dangerous."_

_ "You do not have a say in it, whether you like it or not. . . ."_

_"__You really are pathetic, Dorcas. You think pushing people away will make you stronger, don't you? Well, it makes you weaker."_

_ "Don't act like you know me, Sirius."_

_ "Oh, but I know you all too well. You're so afraid that you'd rather have no one than have all the people that love you now. . . ."_

"Dorcas?"

Lily's gentle voice broke Dorcas out of her reverie and she shook her head slightly, looking back up at her friend.

"What happened?" Lily asked hesitantly.

Dorcas paused before taking a huge, shuddering breath. Then she told Lily the gist of their slightly brief, but still damaging arguement.

_ ". . . Maybe I should just back down now rather than wasting my time later."_

_ "THEN GO! It's not like I need you more than I need anyone else!"_

_ "YOU WON'T _LET_ YOURSELF NEED ANYONE!"_

Lily said nothing, just brought Dorcas into her arms again. She didn't need to say anything. There was nothing she could say - Lily knew that, Dorcas knew that. Declaring 'boy's are the problem' and 'they're completely stupid' would just be immature and they'd be fooling themselves. Both were completely gone for both their boyfriends, despite the rough patches.

"Maybe the boys aren't the ones who're the stupid ones," Dorcas chuckled half-heartedly as her and Lily let go of each other, "Maybe it's been the girls all along."

Lily chuckled and shook her head. "No. I think it's just the human race as a whole."

They both laughed quietly and took each others hands. For a moment, the boys didn't even matter, because because Lily and Dorcas realized that if they could at least have each other to lean on, the two friends might just be alright.


	10. The Magical Magic 8 Ball

**The Magical Magic Eight Ball**

"What the bloody hell is _that_?"

The Marauders, along with their significant others, were crowded around the little black orb. No one but Lily really seemed to know what it was, and, when the others looked at it in wonder, she'd laugh almost condescendingly, but they didn't know why.

"It's a Magic 8 Ball," she explained, smiling broadly. "It's supposedly answers all your questions about the future."

"Really?" the boys gasped, making various noises of wonder.

The girls, however, were more cautious.

"How do you know it's really telling you the truth?" Dorcas asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lily shrugged. "You don't. But usually it's pretty obvious. Try it."

They glanced at each other uncertainly, all of them avoiding it like it was a huge, poisonous spider. Lily sighed, rolling her eyes.

"_Honestly_," she muttered, and picked it up. "Will James and Sirius get top marks on their exams?" she asked in a bored voice.

She shook it and they all peered into it. _My sources say yes._

"Ha-ha!" James exclaimed in victory, high-fiving Sirius.

"Well, _obviously_ this thing works." Sirius scoffed.

"Or it was just a coincidence." she muttered.

"What was that, Evans?" James asked, smirking.

"Nothing at all." she replied, smiling tightly.

"Here, let me try," Remus said eagerly, picking it up. "Let's see if this thing really works - is the Shrieking Shack really haunted?"

The boys shared understanding, slightly troubled glances before Remus shook it. _My sources say no._

"Hm. So it does work." Remus mused.

"Guys, this thing is a Muggle contraption," Lily said wearily, "It has no way of really deciphering the future."

"Well, we _are_ in a school of magic," Sirius pointed out, "Maybe it'll work right with a little magic in the air."

Lily snorted, folding her arms across her chest skeptically. "I highly doubt it."

"Let's test it then." said James with a glint in his eye.

The next line of planned questions shot at the poor, small, defenseless Magic 8 Ball were all answered correctly, much to the bewilderment of the six Gryffindors, especially Lily.

_Did James really get an 'O' on his Potions exam? My sources say yes._

_ When they were seventh years and we were third years, did Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Lockwood really hook up in the broom closet? My sources say yes. _(A question very inappropiately put by none other than Sirius Black.)

_Has Filch ever caught James and Sirius in a prank on purpose? My sources say aboslutely not._

And the questions went on and on, and they were answered right every time. So then James and Sirius decided it was time to really ask it questions they wanted to know.

"Er, I don't know if that's such a good idea." said Emmeline uneasily, eyeing the thing uncertainly.

"I agree, no one's supposed to know their future." Remus agreed.

"Yeah, we should just leave it be." Lily murmured, picking up the 8 Ball to go dispose of it.

"Oh, _come on_ - " Sirius whined, but Dorcas slapped his hand irritably.

"Quit it, Sirius." she muttered.

After that, the two couples went their seperate ways, Remus and Emmeline to the library and Dorcas and Sirius to wander the grounds. James took his chance and loped over to Lily, who was about to destroy the 8 Ball.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on there." James said, grabbing Lily's wand hand before she could demolish it.

She glanced over at him in exasperation. "What? I'm destroying whether you like it or not, James."

"Just one question?" he pleaded, giving her the best puppy-dog eyes he could muster.

To his bewildered surprise, she sighed after a moment, nodding. He grinned and picked it up, eyeing the Magic Ball curiously.

"So I can ask it any question I want and it'll give me the answer?" he mused thoughtfully, momentarily stealing a glance at Lily.

She put her hands on her hips and nodded distractedly, her eyes on the crackling fire. "Yep. Make it a good one."

He tossed it up and down a few times, thinking of how badly he would get hurt if he asked the question he wanted to. He weighed his options for a few seconds before he finally chose the more difficult path, which was nothing new.

He raised an eyebrow and stared at the tiny thing, finally asking with a smirk, "Does Lily Evans have feelings for me?"

Her head snapped up and she let out a cry of rage, but James had already shaken it excitedly, the answering revealing, _My sources say absolutely._

Before James could get a kick out of this, Lily had tackled him and forced the ball out of his hand. James laughed heartily and she scowled at him.

"It's not true, Potter." she argued.

"Don't try denying your feelings for me, Lily-flower." he teased, still laughing.

She scowled deeper. "I don't have feelings for you!"

He snorted. "That's very convincing."

She made an annoyed noise and threw the ball down, yelling, "_Reducto_!" in the process. The unfortunate little thing blew up into little pieces - which James had to hastily dodge at the last second.

"Oh, come on, I didn't even get to ask if you'd punch me if I kissed you!" he complained half-sarcastically.

"Go ahead and try, it'll give me the excuse." she said in a mock-sweet voice, passing by him to the girls dorms.

"Evans, when will you understand that I _like _it when you play hard-to-get?" James asked, smirking.

She turned. "I'm not playing hard-to-get, James. I just don't like you."

"That's not what the Magical 8 Ball said!" he sang as she disppeared up the steps.

"Shut it, Potter!" her voice trailed down the stairs.

James chuckled and put his hands in his pockets, sidling over to the boys dorms.

"Women." he murmured in exasperation, a smile playing on his lips despite himself.


	11. That Old Time Rock N' Roll

**That Old Time Rock N' Roll**

Lily Apparated back into the foyer of her and James' house in Godric's Hollow, checking through her grocery list to make sure she got everything. She started to walk into the living room, but halted when she heard music blaring from said place. She quietly crept to the wall and peered over it, only to find the Marauder's dancing around in their boxers to Muggle music, specifically one her dad used to love, called, 'Old Time Rock N' Roll'. She guessed James was going through her CD's again, but she was too amused at the moment to scold him for it. James had adopted a huge cooking spoon for a microphone and was standing on the coffee table, wildly dancing, while Sirius had claimed the five foot lamp as his own microphone, which he had tipped over, his hands holding it as he sang into it passionately. Remus had gotten James' old, broken-down banjo that he'd recieved from some long-lost relative and had taken to strumming the two strings that were left in a tuneless melody. Peter had out a combination of many pots and pans and was 'playing the drums' with his own cooking spoons. They were all singing at the top of their lungs and dancing like mad men, of course, but Lily didn't really know _how_ they knew all the lyrics. Her only conclusion was that they'd done this many times before. She didn't know whether to be frightened or amused by this. She assumed both.

She chose this moment to walk through the living room to the kitchen, her eyes still scanning her grocery list.

"Hello, boys." she called nonchalantly over the music, and she saw out of the corner of her eye each of them freeze in their own embaressing position. She continued into the kitchen and set her list on the counter, silently laughing to herself.

Meanwhile, in the living room, the boys shared indifferent, slightly surprised glances and shrugs before breaking into their soulful performance once again.

"_I love that old time rock n' roll - that kind of music just soothes the soul. . . ._"


	12. I'm Terrified Of Losing You

_A/N: Thank you to my two reviewers! Woot woot! That makes me extremely happy, so instead of studying for AP, I'm putting this up. Shhh! :D_

**I'm Terrified Of Losing You**

The Potters' Apparated back into their tiny home in Godric's Hollow after a mission for the Order with two 'pop's'. Lily arrived momentarily before James and walked calmly into the kitchen. She started to put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher in a routine way - she tended to do things the Muggle way when she was upset. She and James were dressed nicely, considering they'd gone undercover for this paticular mission at a high-profile party, which characters like Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange attended.

They were also extremely angry with one another. They'd both tried to put themselves in danger to save the other, and, had Remus not been there to save _both_ of them, they would've died. Not only that - but Dorcas went missing a few days ago, and they were both terribly on edge.

James stalked into the kitchen and she heard him pause for a moment before throwing his suit jacket onto the counter with an annoyed noise.

"Well, that went grand." he drawled sarcastically.

"James, I'm really not in the mood for this tonight." she replied wearily, closing the dishwasher and turning it on.

"Why is it that every time we need to talk something through, you just pretend like everything's okay?" he asked, his voice already rising.

She put her palms on the counter, sighing. "Fine. I think the whole thing would've gone a lot better if you hadn't tried to save me from Lestrange. I would've gotten her with my hex."

"And she wouldn't _killed_ you!"

"It would've been a nessecary sarcrifice!" she exclaimed, finally turning to face him. "That's what this is about, James! We are in a war - people die. And I was prepared to do that for the greater good!"

"Not while I'm around!" he insisted angrily, shaking his head.

"How can you even be angry, James?" she let out a mirthless laugh, "You pull reckless stunts like that all the time! I'm relieved you have enough _luck_ that the bastards either miss or you're saved!"

"That has nothing to do with this!" he yelled.

"It has _everything_ to do with this! And it's not like tonight was an exception! I saw you try to take on Yaxley and Avery by yourself! What were you thinking?"

"Lily, I can take care of myself." he insisted quietly, his eyes blazing.

"It's _your_ fault we're like this!" she screamed.

"My fault? _My fault_?" he yelled.

"Yes, your fault, James! You think I'm _okay_ with losing you and I'm not!" she cried, tears welling up in her eyes, "I'm _terrified_ of losing you, and you act like you don't even _care_ what will happen to me if you're gone!"

This seemed to soften his expression, but she didn't care. Tears now freely falling from her eyes, she strode into the living room and stopped before the window, gazing distantly out into the night. She put her hand over her mouth feebly and tried to keep it together. James, as she suspected, walked in shortly after, and she closed her eyes. He walked forward and tried to grab her hand, but she pulled it away stubbornly.

"Lily." James pleaded and he tried to take her hand again. When she wouldn't let him, he gently took her shoulders and turned her around, and she complied weakly. He held her face between his hands and searched her watery eyes for silent forgiveness.

"Life is too short these days," he began quietly, brushing away her tears, "and I can't believe I'm already taking you for granted. Especially with Dorcas gone, I just . . . I won't ever leave you, Lily." he finally promised.

She gazed at him and swallowed, nodding weakly.

He touched his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I love you."

She managed a smile, touching the side of his face. "I love you, too."


	13. The Art of Quidditch

_A/N: So this chapter is a little . . . odd, even by my standards. I just sort of made up a bunch of stuff that doesn't even make sense. . . . Well, just read it and you'll see. Haha. Oh, and two chapters up in, like, ten minutes! Woot woot! I'm just exicted, people! :)_

**The Art Of Quidditch**

"Soooo, this is how it's gonna go down, my little shmookie wookies," James started, walking back and forth across the line of his fellow Quidditch players. "I, James Potter, am the captain of this ship. The leader of this herd. The general of this army."

By this time, the new players were looking at James like he'd grown another head, but the others who'd been playing with James for however many years looked either bored or amused. Sirius stood alert, nodding along solemnly to James' speech. James made a rediculously long and pretty much pointless speech at the beginning of Quidditch each season, whether he was captian or not. So this being his last year, he probably wrote up a really good one - or he was just saying anything that came to his mind.

"I will guide you in the art of Quidditch . . . and any other aspect of life, should you come to me personally," he added as an afterthought, frowning, "But mainly with Quidditch. You must be alert - passionate - coordinated - determined - "

"Nice vocab." Sirius commented, nodding appreciatively.

James grinned at him. "Why, thank you, Sirius. I am very well educated indeed."

Daniella Olsen, a Beater, rolled her eyes and leaned over to Felicia Jenkins, the Keeper.

"He's lucky Lily isn't here. She'd set him straight." she muttered.

They both giggled and James turned to them, not hearing what had been whispered.

"Have something to say?" he asked expectantly.

They both looked at him innocently. "Nope. Nothing."

Sirius, however, chuckled silently at the predicament.

James frowned, nodding. "Right. Moving on. Anyway. My little cups of pumpkin juice, you must be prepared to take on the worst. Like those God-awful, frighteningly hideous Slytherins flying at you or a Bludger hitting you in the face - "

The new players now looked extremely scared. One third year slowly started to raise his hand, but Sirius grabbed his arm and put it back down gently, giving him an understanding look.

"Take nothing he says seriously." he advised quietly, and the third year cracked a smile.

" - Use being a cup of pumpkin juice reference as you play - pretend that if you miss a shot or you accidently beat a Bludger at one of your teammates, you will be gobbled up quickly. However, if you score shots or knock the opponent off their broom, your cup with be forgotten and you will never be consumed - or, even better, you'd never even be poured into the cup!"

At this point, even Sirius looked a little worried. This analogy unfortunately made sense to him and it rather frightened him, but the others seemed pretty confused with what was going on.

"And, with this thought in mind - we fly!" James announced dramatically, taking that moment to mount his broom and fly into the air with his head facing the sky and his hand in the air.

Sirius shook his head and rolled his eyes, turning to the team briefly, sighing, "In other words, do good and everyone'll be happy."

The others seemed to be slightly comforted by this and Sirius sighed again, kicking off the ground to be the first one in the air with his absolutely mental best friend.


	14. Worst Apology Ever

_ A/N: Alright, I had a hard time writing this chapter, and I don't know why . . . I just did. So I'm sorry if it's not excellent or anything, but I tried! Oh, and sorry if you're a Nickelback hater - which I've found a lot of people are - 'cause there's a quote at the end. Not a big fan myself, but I thought it went good with the chapter. :)_

**Worst Apology Ever**

Sirius held his breath for a frighteningly long time. He could very well be punched, slapped, cursed, hexed or all of the above in about two seconds.

Was she worth it . . . ?

Yeah. She was.

He slowly let out the breath and tentatively knocked on the door. It swung open sooner than he was prepared for and resisted the urge to flinch - he knew very well the wrath of women. A scowling Lily stood there, one hand on her hip and the other on the door, as if to slam it in his face any second.

"Oh, for the love of Merlin, Sirius, you are _honestly_ the most obnoxiously _audacious_ male I've ever met!" she exclaimed, and Sirius was pretty sure his eye slightly twitched at her extensive vocabularly. "How about you refrain from being an _arse_ for once in your life and leave her alone?"

Cursed - check. And he hadn't even seen Dorcas yet.

"Look, I just - "

"Lily who are you . . . ?"

Dorcas came into view, and, when she saw Sirius, she didn't get angry, as he suspected. Her face just fell and she became very weary, which was even worse.

"What do you want, Sirius?" she sighed.

"Dorcas, you don't have to - " Lily started, but Dorcas shook her head.

"It's fine." she assured her. Lily sighed and nodded, passing by Sirius to go down to the common room. She didn't even miss a beat in giving him a 'you-mess-with-her-you-die' stare-down, which he frowned and looked away from hastily.

"Dorcas," Sirius started when Lily was gone, "I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am - "

"Save it, Sirius," she cut him off, "You and I both know you meant it. You may be sorry - but you meant it."

"Well, can you prove me wrong?" he countered.

She stared, then protested hastily, "This is officially the worst apology ever, Sirius, I - "

"I know," he sighed, "Just humor me."

She glared at him. "I don't have to prove myself to you. In fact, I don't want to be associated with you at all, so you can just . . . "

Sh trailed off, realizing she was proving him right just by that statement and he raised his eyebrows in an 'I-told-you-so' sort of manner. It seemed like she wanted to snap at him, but then she just gave up, sighing.

"You're right." she whispered, biting her lip.

Sirius didn't really know what he should do at that point, so he just did what he wanted - he took her in his arms and made her feel safe. They stood like that for a moment, her head buried in his shoulder and his chin on her head, when he felt Dorcas' heart speed up ever so slightly.

"Sirius . . . " she whispered, looking up at him. He furrowed his brow slightly at her troubled expression, but then she continued, "I'm in love with you."

She looked extremely scared. Sirius understood that this was huge for her - she never made herself feel vulnerable, and he was warmed by the fact that she'd done it for him. Of course, he was exasperated that she looked frightened - she should've known that he felt the same.

As these thoughts went thought his head, he realized he hadn't replied, and she was biting her lip nervously.

Finally, he smiled and put a hand on her cheek, admitting, "I've loved you all along."

"_I love you - I have loved you all along . . . I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go . . . hold onto me and never let me go. . . ._"

- Nickelback


	15. The Automobile

**The Automobile**

"What - exactly is that?" James asked, staring at the machine in repulsion.

"It's a car, James," Lily said excitedly, "I've just got my liscense last week! Do want to go for a ride?"

James and his family was staying at Lily's house for a couple of days over Christmas break, and it had been an interesting stay so far. James had been alright with everything Muggle and hadn't freaked out once . . . until he saw the car.

"_No_, I don't want to go for a ride!" James exclaimed, backing away from the car. "That thing looks extremely dangerous!"

"You're a _Gryffindor_, for Merlin's sake," Lily sighed, "And it's no more dangerous than a broomstick - you ride those all the time. In fact, it's probably _more_ safe than a broomstick."

James still looked wary, and Lily had a feeling he was about to make a run for it, so she went to extreme measures.

"If you don't get in, I'll tell Sirius you cried at the end of _The Notebook_." she threatened, putting her hands on her hips.

He gasped, "You wouldn't!"

She grinned wickedly. "Oh, I would."

"That's blackmail, Lily!" he exclaimed, horrified, "I could report you!"

She rolled her eyes and opened the passenger door. "Get in, James."

He sucked in a deep breath, his eyes wide as he hesitated. He made a loud and irritated noise just to make a statement before reluctantly climbing into the car. Lily went around and got into the drivers seat.

"Lily, I am _not_ okay with this." he informed her as she started the car.

"Yes, I know." she sighed.

"I want to get _out of here _- hey, are we moving? Lily, we're moving. We're moving, Lily, is that normal? LILY - "

"Shut it, James!" Lily exclaimed, starting down the street, "I've only just got my liscence, you need to stay calm so I can focus!"

"Stay calm? _Stay calm_? WE ARE . . . we are . . . hey, this isn't so bad," he said suddenly as they cruised down the road. "This is . . . actually kinda fun."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You are such a child."

He wasn't paying attention. His face was pressed up against the glass of the window and he looked completely enthralled with the automobile he'd despised just a minute ago. Lily shook her head, sighing at her boyfriend.


	16. Back To You

**Back To You**

"_Your guard is up, and I know why - because the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind . . . so this is me swallowing my pride, standing in front of you, sayin' I'm sorry for that night. . . . But if we loved again, I swear I'd love you right - I'd go back in time and change it, but I can't - so if the chain is on your door, I understand. . . ._"

- Taylor Swift

Lily was doomed. Okay, maybe not, but that was what it felt like. She had been denying for an embaressingly long amount of time, but she couldn't pretend anymore - the huge fight between her and James had been her fault. It had lasted for a whole month - most likely thanks to their stubborn pride - and it was killing her.

Yes, it was her fault. She had vicious feminine mood swings, rejecting him, teasing him, snapping at him - and he'd gotten fed up. She was ready to quit all of it now; not having him running back to her after a day helped her realize the fact that she really did care about him.

So, like the incredibly brave Gryffindor lioness she was, she stood outside the Qudditch pitch, looking like a complete idiot as she contemplated what to do. Her mind's internal battle of 'do-it' and 'no-you-don't-Lily-Evans-you-don't-need-him-run-away' was cut short when she heard laughter coming toward her from inside. She was startled into reality and looked around frantically for somewhere to hide. Only when she was sprinting towards cover behind a bush did she realize how rediculously childish it was. She slowed to a stop and was about to head back up to the castle in defeat when she heard the Gryffindor Quidditch team boisterously walking out of the pitch. She couldn't help but notice she conveniently ended up right in the middle of their path and stood there awkwardy, not really knowing what to do.

Sirius was the first to see her and nudged James, nodding to her. James looked over curiously, and, when he saw Lily, a flash of a smile crossed his face, but was quickly dimished by a nonchalant raise of his eyebrows.

"How's it goin', Evans?" he called as they passed, and Lily quickly covered up her hurt reaction.

She bit her lip to keep from doing something completely stupid - or screaming - when Sirius rolled his eyes, shoving his best friend back toward her. James made an indignant noise, stumbling and Sirius just gave him an exasperated look as the rest of the team made their way up to the castle.

That left James and Lily alone in the middle of the path, standing there in heavy silence. As Lily quickly glanced over at him, she immediately knew his guard was up - and she knew why. Just as she had regained her wits and was about to say something -

"Er . . . do you need something, or . . . ?" James finally asked, trailing off.

She took a deep breath, gazing into his hazel eyes. "James, I'm sorry."

He raised his eyebrows again, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're sorry?" he repeated incredulously, "I never thought I'd hear you say that."

"Yes, well . . . " she trailed off helplessly - why couldn't she remember the words to the 'please-forgive-me' speech she'd come up with? - then continued, "I was stupid and immature and I had no right to treat you like that."

"So, what are you trying to say?" James asked, still trying for the nonchalant cover.

She sighed and shrugged, sort of defeated at his demeanor. "I've realized that I care about you a lot more than I care to admit - and your absence has helped me realize that, and - "

"Lily," he cut her off, his voice suddenly changing to a softer, kinder tone, "That's all I needed to hear."

She stared at him in surprise. "Really? But James, I wasn't even finished, I came up with a whole speech and everything, you weren't supposed to forgive me until at least the middle, I mean - "

He chuckled and tugged her hand, bringing her close to him. "Shut it, Evans." he murmured, pressing his lips to hers.


	17. Until The End

** Until The End**

Remus stood in front of the three graves, silent for a very long time. Three sunflowers lay limply in his hand, somewhat forgotten at the sight of his best friends' graves. Had it really been so long? Had it really been so long since they played pranks at Hogwarts? Had it really been so long since Lily and James were by his side, laughing? Had it really been so long since Sirius and Remus reunited to help Harry throughout his last years at Hogwarts and rejoin the Order of the Pheonix? Had it truely been only a week since Sirius was standing beside him? How could this be?

Remus needed their help. He couldn't go on like this. Not so alone - even with Tonks, even with the rest of the Order and Harry. He needed forgiveness. After all these years of blaming himself. . . . He needed forgiveness. And, ultimately, closure.

"James . . . Sirius . . . Lily," Remus started, his voice already cracking, "I stand here before you, alone. . . . How odd is it that I had once had so much and now, not many years later, have next to nothing? Why do _I_ have to be the one that's left? We were the best of friends, James, Sirius - Maurauders. Brothers. And now all that I'm left with is _Peter_ - the cowardly bastard. . . . What would I give, to go back in time and fix what he destroyed? Anything. Anything at all.

"I have also come here . . . for forgiveness," Remus admitted, his voice wreaked with weariness as he turned his head to the sky, imagining their faces looking down on him. "I should've been there - for all three of you. James, Lily - I should have seen the cruelty in Peter and for that I am forever in your debt. I was the one who spent the most time with him, I should've seen it - should've known. And Sirius, my friend, I should've - I should've protected you further. I should've been there, fighting alongside you. You don't understand what it's like for poor Harry now. He's - he's not doing well, with your death. I can see it. He's a strong boy, but - but there's only so much a human can loose - "

He stopped for a moment, repressing the need to sob right there. He swallowed and looked back down to the solemn graves. He walked forward and brushed the snow off the three tomb stones gently, knowing they'd want them to be seen - especially James and Sirius. Remus chuckled slightly at this.

"You two are such arrogant bastards, you know that?" Remus chuckled, "Even until the bitter end, leaving me like this. . . . Don't misunderstand me - I feel no anger. Just - I'm just tired. I want to join you, sooner rather than later. I want to be free. Free of this curse, of this war, of these responsibilities. Is it too much to ask? . . . Maybe. Maybe I'm selfish. But after all these years, I'm saddened, yet not surprised, to admit that I don't care. I'm past caring. I just - to go on, I need your forgiveness."

He swallowed his tears again and finally walked forward to set each sunflower - Lily's, and therefore, James' favorite flower - on each tomb.

"Sirius, I hope you like sunflowers." Remus whispered, somewhat childishly.

The wind blew lightly against his cheek then, brushing it lightly and caressing his ear - almost as if it was talking, as if it was laughing. Remus had a naive feeling that they were there with him - all three of them, bounding through the grass as they hid from him. It'd be something they'd do, too.

He also had a feeling they were irritated with him, as the wind blew harder. He knew that they'd be mad he was blaming hismelf.

"But we were supposed to be together forever. Until the end," Remus whispered, yet his voice carried with the air as he closed his eyes, "I just want a sign. I know it's selfish but - I need to know you're okay. I need comfort. I need closure." he begged, his eyes reopening desperately to the sky.

The wind tickled him again, this time more forcefully, and his stomach jolted. Could it possibly - ?

Maybe he was imagining things. Maybe he was going insane. He wouldn't doubt it.

However, as the wind soothed him once more, he could've sworn he heard those three breezy words, all three of his beloved friends' voice melded into one beautiful sentence: "_We love you._"


	18. Hormones: For The Frustrated Teenage Boy

_A/N: Oh my goodness, thank you to everyone who reviewed! I know it gets old coming from authors, but, really, it just makes my day a whole lot brighter. (Wow, that was so cheesy. Haha, oh well.) Alright, so this one was inspired by the Youtube vlogger charlieissocoollike's song 'Chemical Love', so, instead of actually doing research and all that crap, I just took what I could from the song and put it in here. Haha. You'll understand when you read. (And sorry it's short - school sucks. And, while I'm on the subject, I am up way too late for my health right now, writing this. Dear God. Anyway, sorry for this horrificly long author's note. :/)_

_ Alright, thanks again everyone, it means a lot!_

**Dopamine and Norepenephrine**

"James, I'm gonna die - "

"Shut up."

"James, you don't understand - "

"In fact, I do, Mr. Black." James insisted, setting down the book he'd been reading. Sirius stared expectantly at his friend, desperately needing love advice. He really, _really_ wanted to go on a date with Dorcas Meadowes, but there was only so much a seventh year boy could do.

What he wasn't expecting was James to go all scientific on him. James sighed in a weary way and actually crossed his legs, making Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"It's just the dopamine released inside your brain, my naive friend. It's makes you realize that the girl you're looking at is 'hot', as you crazy kids put it these days - "

"But - " Sirius wanted to throw out there that James was a 'crazy kid' as well, but he cut him off.

"And it is nothing more - it is the thing that infects every single teenager. . . . A _hormone_. Yes, you heard me correctly, dear boy. . . . Although," he continued thoughtfully (and by this point, even his best friend who almost always understood him was baffled), "the other hormone that comes shortly after dopamine is norepenephrine, which focuses your efforts on one girl. Now, if you're willing to do that, good fellow, you go for it."

Sirius eyed his friend cautiously for a while, and had the sudden urge to picture him with Einstein-looking hair and huge glasses.

"Erm . . . to be honest, mate, I didn't understand a word you just said." he admitted finally.

James shook his head pityingly, chuckling. "Oh, Sirius, what will we do with you?" he sighed, picking back up his book.

Sirius then read the title of the book: 'Hormones and Their Many Effects: For the Frustrated Teenage Boy'.

Sirius opened his mouth to either laugh, throw up, or _ask why James was reading it_, but ended up just choking on nothing.

James frowned at him. "Something wrong?" he asked innocently.

Sirius sighed with a huge grin, deciding to let it go. "No, James. No problem."

James smiled like a crazy old scientist, nodding. "Good man." he said before returning to his book, and Sirius, instead of going to try to win Dorcas over once again, picked up one of James' hormone books - he'd won over Lily somehow.


	19. No One Bosses Around James Potter

_A/N: Alright, so this is my take on what would've happened if James and Lily met as little kids in a Muggle neighbordhood. (I've been doing a lot of sad/angsty ones, so I made two happy ones in a row!) And I updated very quickly - YEAH! - because I'm not going to have any free time for the next week. :( Partly because I'm going to HARRY POTTER WOLRD IN UNIVERSAL THIS WEEKEND . . . and artly because I'm going to be studying for a huge exam after that :/ . . . so wish me luck!_

_ Anyway, happy reading!_

**Daaaaaaaaddy!**

"Dad! Dad! Daddy! Daaaaaddyyy!"

Benjamin Potter tried to contain his ever-growing annoyance as his eleven year old son came bounding into his office, and then continued to jump up and down when he entered. James' glasses were askew and his dishevelled hair was even more so from his hopping. Mr. Potter turned in his office chair and raised his eyebrows at his son.

"Guess what I just got?" he asked exictedly, continuing to hop up and down. "_A broomstick_! Mum and I went to Diagon Alley and got one, even though first-years aren't allowed to have them at Hogwarts - do you think I could _hide_ it? They'd never even _know_! Oh, and mum made me get an owl, even though I _wanted _a _kitty_ - "

"James _Benjamin _Potter," Mr. Potter said as calm as he could manage, "Will you _cease_ your excessive _jumping_?"

James frowned, continuing to bounce. "What's 'excessive' mean?"

"James, come here." Mr. Potter sighed wearily, waving his son over. James hopped over and stopped right before his father, who put his hands on his shoulders so he would just _stop moving_. "Now, first of all, you need to stop jumping around. Second, remember you can't fly your broomstick in this neighbordhood because it's a _Muggle _neighborhood. It's not like the one before this."

"Aw, but _dad_ - "

"No 'but's', young man, you hear me?"

James pouted enourmously, but nodded, heaving a great sigh. "Yeah," he muttered, but then perked up, reminding Mr. Potter amusingly of a dog. "Hey, can Sirius come over? Please? Please? Please, please, please?"

Mr. Potter contained his sigh and pressed his lips together. "Yes, James. But maybe it's best if you went over there. You can bring your broomstick and fly it around there."

James' eyes went wide and he grinned. "You're _right_," he exclaimed, then proceeded out of his father's office and down the hall, his high, excited voice going with him. "Oh, wait until Sirius sees my broomstick, he's gonna wanna ride it, but I'll say, 'Nu-uh, Sirius Black, I get a turn first', and then I'll fly around, and then we'll go eat Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans, because I _hate_ those dumb Chocolate Frogs, they're just so dumb and they hop everywhere and they're annoying and I hate them. . . ."

"Dad! Dad! Daddy! Daaaaaddyyy!"

Mr. Potter stood and put his head in his hands as his son came running into the room again, five minutes after their last conversation. James ran over to him and grabbed his arm, hanging from it. He had an empty box on his head and he was looking up at him expectantly.

"What is it, James?"

"The floo powder isn't working."

Mr. Potter realized that the box on James' head was an empty box of floo powder. He sighed deeply as he realized since this was a Muggle neighborhood, they'd yet to get a floo network installed.

"James, get off my arm. Please." he ordered.

James obliged and stood in front of his father, swinging his arms around himself and humming as he waited for Mr. Potter to fix the problem.

"Okay," Mr. Potter sighed, "Alright. James, why don't you go for a walk?"

"A walk?" James whined, frowning as he slumped.

"Yes. A walk. If you go on a walk for about . . . an hour, I will take you somewhere you can ride your broomstick tonight. Deal?"

James nodded eagerly and bounded out of the room. "Okay!"

"Watch for cars, James!" Mr. Potter called after him.

James' tiny head popped back into the room, his glasses lying lopsided again. "What's a car?"

"Nothing, James. Nothing. Just stay on the bloody sidewalk!" Mr. Potter sighed and James nodded enthusiastically, his head disappearing.

James Potter walked down the street, gradually becoming extremely bored. He shoved his hands into his jean pockets - Muggle clothes - and kicked rocks on the sidewalk. He sighed and looked around at the other houses he passed. He caught sight of something that looked like a park at the end of the street and he perked up, breaking into a sprint towards the playground.

When he got there, he jumped onto a swing, standing on it rather than sitting, and rocked back and forth while holding the chains. He stood there for a minute, thinking about Hogwarts, and how _totally awesome_ it was going to be - only two more weeks left.

"You're supposed to _sit_ on the swing, you know."

James turned, shocked, and found a little red-headed girl standing there, her hands on her hips with a raised eyebrow. James pushed his glasses up his nose as he noticed how pretty she was.

_However_ . . . no one bossed around James Potter.

"I _know_ that," he explained, the smirked, "_I_ like to live on the edge."

She scowled at him and sat on the swing beside James'. "Well, it's _dangerous_."

James rolled his eyes, but ignored her otherwise, instead asking, "What's your name?"

"I don't see how it's any of your business," she replied indignantly, glancing at him, "but I'm Lily. I live over there, in the white house."

James folowed her point and saw a pretty white house with flowers blooming everywhere. He didn't really like Lily but he liked her house. He started swinging more enthusiastically, grinning as he pointed out his new house.

"My name's James Potter - I live over _there_." he said, pointing down the street.

"Potter?" she repeated, frowning. "Where've I heard that before?"

"Well, my mum's a writer for the Daily Prophet - "

He snapped his mouth shut, his eyes widening. His father was going to kill him. Absolutely whip out an '_Avada Kedavra_' on his sorry behind with no mercy.

"Oh, yeah!" she exclaimed in realization, "I read her articles all the time - Katherine Potter."

James looked at her like she was crazy. "_You're_ a witch?"

She glanced at him. "Why do you look so surprised, _Potter_?"

He resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose and shrugged nonchalantly. "It's just - well, you don't seem . . . _cool _enough to be a wizard."

She stopped swinging and turned to face him, scowling. "I really don't appreciate your _attitude_."

He stopped swinging, too, gaping openly at his obnoxious neighbor. "_My _attitude?"

"Yes, your attitude. I am a _lady_, you should treat me with _respect_!" she huffed, standing up and stalking back to her house, her nose in the air all the way.

He mocked her behind her back, grimacing. "'_I'm a _lady_, you should treat me with _respect!'"


	20. You Don't Stand a Chance

_A/N: I couldn't help myself, haha, just one more! This will probably be continued into the next chapter, just so you know. And sorry to leave you on somewhat of a depressing note, but this chapter's been written for a while and it's very meaningful to me. I'm very passionate in that, while writing during 'the Order' part of these characters lives, to incorporate the deaths of other Order members - friends that they lost - and the hard times they fought through together, because those times really define and make up a huge part of who they are when it comes down to it._

_Oh, dear. I talk about these characters like they're actual people. *sigh*_

_So anyway, that's all. :) Happy reading!_

**You Don't Stand A Chance**

The Order had guessed correct that Death Eaters would be at the Finch's house on that Sunday night.

They just got there too late.

Sirius, Lily, Benjy Fenwick, Marlene McKinnon and Frank Longbottom sprinted into the house after Apparating onto the porch, only to find there was no one there. The lights were all out, blackness surrounding them.

"No one's here." Benjy voiced, sounding surprised but wary.

"The front door was open," Sirius said bitterly, "Something's happened. _Lumos._"

The dim light only flooded the small hallway and staircase, leaving the rest in ominous darkness. The other four followed suit, looking around warily.

"And they wanted us here_._" Marlene added.

"But where are the Muggles?" Frank wondered.

"I'll check upstairs." Lily volunteered.

"Don't bother. They're dead," said a sickly sweet voice from the right room. They all whipped around to find none other than Bellatrix Lestrange there, flanked by two others. "Now, now, don't turn your backs on open spaces." she chided, and Marlene and Frank whirled around. Lily knew that there were more, and she didn't really fancy figuring out how many more.

The five of them seethed, but kept their tempers in check. If Lestrange was talking and not trying to massacre them already, it was something important.

"Did you really think you could out-smart us?" Bellatrix chuckled, raising her eyebrows as she sidled forward, fingering her wand.

"We're enjoying the speech, of course," Sirius snapped, his wand at the ready, "but it's not how you usually handle things. What do you want?"

Bellatrix's eyes glinted as they eyed her cousin, then they slid over to Lily's. "Why, we're here for Lily Evans. The Dark Lord has an offer for you."

Lily glared, but said nothing.

"He wants you to join us. And your little boyfriend, too. Fresh out of Hogwarts - just the kind that he wants." she went on, but Lily was too angry to listen. Before she realized what she was doing, she -

"_Stupefy!_" she yelled, but Bellatrix quickly deflected it.

"No, then?" she asked with a hint of a smile, "_Crucio!_"

Battle broke out. The five Order members exclaimed spells expertly, but the Death Eaters were just as good. Sirius focused on his cousin, rage boiling in his blood - he had to be done with her, once and for all. Bellatrix seemed to have no problem battling him to the death, and with joy, no less. Finally, Bellatrix managed to disarm him and he stood there wandless. As Sirius looked into his cousins eyes, he accepted his death right there - there was no mercy, no kindness, in those black eyes.

But instead of finishing him off quickly, Bellatrix moved toward him swiftly, grabbing his chin in her hand and putting her cheek next to his so she could whisper in his ear.

"Give it up, little cousin. No one can defeat us, not even your little Order." she hissed.

From over Belltrix's shoulder, he made eye contact with Lily, who raised immediately her wand to hex Bellatrix.

"No, Lestrange," he murmured back, a slight triumphant smile on his lips. "You don't stand a chance against us."

"_Stupefy!_" Lily exclaimed and Bellatrix fell to the ground. Sirius was hoping for a bit more pain on her behalf, but he would have to deal with it. He kicked Bellatrix into a corner and locked eyes with Benjy from across the room, who glashed him a grin. He was geniously shooting spells at Macnair, but he didn't see the other Death Eater coming in from behind -

"Ben!" Sirius bellowed, but it was too late. The spell literally tore Ben to pieces - and Sirius couldn't help but watch.

A feeling of hatred boiled in him as he stared at the guilty Death Eater rather than the blood and gore spewed on the floor. He heard Lily and Marlene scream in horror and Frank yell indignantly, but he was still busy with another Death Eater.

Many things happened at once: Lily fell to her knees on the floor, sobbing, Marlene was Stunned unconscious, Yaxley and Macnair both fired a spell at Lily while she was distracted - and Sirius was too late.

"_Crucio!_"

"_CRUCIO!_"

"NO!" Sirius screamed, running at the Death Eaters, but both already hit her.

Lily's screams of anguish should've been it for Sirius - it should've drove him to insanity. But all he could do was tackle Yaxley, beating him with his bare hands. Sirius could feel Yaxley's blows coming right back at him, but he was blinded by desperation and madness to badly to care.

Then, a gentle hand touched his shoulder - a hand of an ally. Sirius turned and saw Frank staring down at him sadly, the three remaining Death Eaters either unconscious or dead.

"Sirius, we have to take Lily to St. Mungo's. Now." Frank said, his voice slightly breaking, but Sirius admired him for keeping cool under the most distressing circumstances.

Sirius hadn't even noticed tears were falling free down his face until he noticed Frank's as well. He stood, stepping away from the now-unconscious Death Eater shakily. Then, his eyes met Lily's body and he was whiplashed into gear. He grabbed her body, lifting her gingerly into his arms.

"Tell James and the rest to meet us there!" Sirus exclaimed, Apparating to St. Mungo's and leaving the scene of cruelty behind until they had to go back to clean it all up, like every other time Voldemort inevitably won. Though more of his men fell - the Order suffered a greater loss. Benjy Fenwick didn't have a family, no; but he and Sirius - and the rest of the Order, for that matter - had gotten close being in the Order together, and he was just . . . gone now. They would never laugh, never cry again together. And if they possibly lost Lily tonight . . . Sirius didn't know how he could go on.

Even if the Light won this war - it was already killing him from the inside out.

Only twenty minutes after Sirius had situated Lily in a hospital room did the others appear. James was the first, looking totally mental - his eyes wild, his glasses lop-sided, his clothes rumpled. Other Order memebers followed - Fabian and Gideon Prewett, Emmeline, Remus, Edgar Bones, Caradoc Dearborn and Dedalus Dodge.

"What happened? Where is she? Is she okay?" James exclaimed frantically.

"James, I don't know," Sirius replied, trying to keep it together. "The doctor said they wouldn't officially know until they are done testing - she was hit by the Cruciartus Curse more than once - "

"_What_?" James gasped, recoiling away from his best friend.

"James, I - "

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO RPOTECT HER!" James bellowed, his eyes meeting his unashamedly. Then he repeated quieter, "You were supposed to protect her."

James words cut Sirius more than he could ever know. Everyone watched apprehensively, but it seemed to both men that only the other was there. Sirius stood there silently for a minute, not sure how he could possibly keep his composure now.

"I'm sorry, James." he managed to whisper before he stalked out of the waiting room.

_A/N: Yes, Benjy Fenwick did really get blown up into bits by a Death Eater. :'( So sad. Poor Benjy._


	21. So This Is Real

_ A/N: Alright this chapter is just a bit corny, if I say so myself, but I needed a break from the dramatic-ness since I'm happy, because I just got back from Harry Potter World! Guys, it's amazing! All of you should go, because it was just . . . incredible to be there. I bought Dumbledore's wand, a Gryffindor scarf, a Zonko's cup and a Chocolate Frog - and the butterbeer's amazing! On the Dragon Challenge, for some reason, I liked the red dragon better (my friends and I named it Ollie) and we always waited for the front - it's worth it! The Hogwart's ride completely blew my mind as well - the dementor's always scared the hell out of me every time. Anyway, if you have a chance to go - GO! :)_

_ Happy reading! :)_

**So This Is Real**

Sirius and Dorcas had been fighting. It hadn't been the first time, of course - but this had been lasting longer than Sirius had planned for in his Grand Sceme of Things. Their last date hadn't really gone as Sirius planned (them screaming at each other, then Dorcas storming out the door wasn't very romantic) and he didn't even have the chance to get her back, because she kept _avoiding him_.

James and Remus must've been ready to kill him, with all his whining - maybe that's how he ended up locked in the Transformy Room with her. . . .

Sirius stood with his hands in his pockets, whistling a tune as he waited for the Marauders to meet him in the Totally Awesome Room. It had transfigured itself to a room with windows, the sunlight streaming in, and it had a couch in front of a fire place and a table in the middle of the room.

He didn't really know why they wanted to meet him, but he couldn't wait to tell them about his new idea for a prank -

The door opened and Sirius opened his mouth excitedly to speak, but then saw it was Dorcas who walked in. She had her head turned, looking out the door, talking to -

". . . what you're up to, but I don't like it, James - hey, what are you - JAMES - "

The door slammed shut, his laughter still evident outside the room. Dorcas gasped in shock, banging on the door.

"JAMES POTTER, open this door this instant! What is _wrong_ with you, you insufferable _prat_ - "

Sirius cleared his throat loudly, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet and looking around innocently. She whirled around, her eyes wide, and he met her gaze from under his eyelashes, scared for her reaction. He should've expected this from James and Remus, though - rest assured, he'd get them back.

"What?" she hissed, "He - how can he be so - ugh!"

Sirius studied her with a raised eyebrow. "What is it now?"

"I do not want to talk to you, Sirius." she huffed, turning around with her arms over her chest defiantly.

Sirius was quiet for a while, a tight, sarcastic smile forming on his lips. "You know what, Dorcas? Maybe you were right - we could never work. You'd probably drive me crazy."

"Me?" she exclaimed, stomping up to him. "_You're_ the one who's driven _me_ crazy, Sirius! I can't even think straight!"

He held back his smart comment and also held back the urge to just kiss her and forget everything; she was so close, after all. Instead of either, though, he managed a bored expression.

"Well, you won't have to worry about me anymore - I won't be bothering you." he muttered, stepping away from her and half-sitting on the table. He looked out one of the windows, trying to distract himself from her.

She didn't talk for a long while, which was a shocker, coming from Dorcas Meadowes. When he finally glanced at her, she had an odd expression on her face - or, it wasn't odd, he just didn't see it on her face very often. She looked . . . truely sorry, as if she knew he was supressing his pain.

"Sirius, you know I'm just being stupid - " she began, but he cut her off.

"Dorcas, please, save it," he sighed, shaking is head. "Sure, I care for you and you - apparrently - feel mutually, but if I remember correctly, you said we'd be 'better off dead than being together', so, now that I agree, we won't have to worry about . . . being better off dead." he finished in a rush.

"You don't think I care for you?" she asked quietly, looking at her intertwined hands.

He shrugged. "It doesn't show."

"Sirius, I love everything about you," she admitted with a slightly nervous chuckled, and he looked up at her in surprise, "Your confidence, yet how shy you can be; your originality, your humor, your optimism - you always brighten my day, and I know I don't show it, and I'm sorry. I'm just - not good with that sort of thing. I'm even struggling now - it, um, doesn't seem right to express my feelings."

He swallowed, examining her - adorable - frightened expression. Then, after a moment, he said, "I love your laugh," he murmured, and a surprised smile tugged on her lips, "I love your obssessive, controling personality, I love how you boss me around, I love when I make you smile, I love when you hum while doing your homework . . ." he said, and then bit his lip, shrugging, "I love you."

They stood there staring at each other for a minute, not really knowing what to do.

"So this is real, huh?" Dorcas finally asked quietly, slowly walking towards him.

He smiled slightly, getting up and meeting her halfway. "I guess so." he agreed, putting his hands lightly on her waist as they met.

She put her hands on either side of his face, smiling. "I love you, too, Sirius."

He grinned his usual grin and pulled her closer, letting their lips meet - and, as far as Sirius was concerned, they weren't going to part for a long time.


	22. Of The Future

**Of The Future**

Lily contemplated the ice cream tub. Three-quarters of it had been wolfed down by the Marauders the night before, but she figured her and James could finish the rest out of the carton. With that thought, she frowned appreciatively and closed the freezer door with her hip, grabbing two spoons on the way back to the living room. Her husband sat on their couch while watching their son happily play with his baby-proof snitch on the floor in front of him. A fire blazed in the fireplace and the radio was playing softly in the background as Lily sat down lightly next to him, silently handing him a spoon and setting the tub in between them.

"How do you always know what I'm craving?" he groaned, dipping the spoon greedily into the tub.

She snorted, doing the same. "Actually, I didn't really know - I figured you wouldn't want any, considering how much you ate last night."

He glanced slyly at her, then cracked a grin, patting his stomach. "I'm a growing boy, Lil."

"You're done growing. So that excuse isn't liable." she protested, looking at him challengingly with raised eyebrows. She silently smiled at his grimace and she shoved a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth in triumph.

Then, she turned her attention to their little son, Harry. His little tuft of black hair sat haphazardly on top of his head - it looked suspiciously like an early version of James' - and his bright green eyes, identical to Lily's, followed the snitch eagerly as it flew only a foot or so in front of him. He crawled toward it desperately, giggling feverishly as it slipped away at the last moment.

"Harry, sweetie, come here." Lily murmured, putting aside the ice cream container and holding her arms out with a loving smile.

Her son looked over at her curiously and grinned his two-toothed grin, climbing onto Lily's lap obligingly. Lily stroked Harry's head and kissed his forehead lightly. He sat there, staring up at her with wide eyes. Lily looked over to James with a small smile and he returned it, slipping his hand into hers. He brought his other hand over to grasp Harry's tiny palm and the little boy looked between his mom and dad blankly, then smiled again. Lily and James smiled back, because whenever he smiled, they did too.

The slow music played in the background as the Potter's gathered around each other in their living room and savored in each others company, for the times were dangerous that they were living in.

There was a crash from the foyer.

The date was October 31, 1981.


	23. Is This Some Sort of Joke?

_A/N: People, look this up. You will not regret it. It will probably make your day - it's HP related, of course._

_ http:/www. youtube. com/watch?v=qjbYc83S0w8_

_ Happy reading! :) (and watching, if you choose to do so. :D)_

**Is This Some Sort of Joke?**

James Potter didn't really know when his attraction toward Lily Evans had started - he didn't really know how or why, either. He had enjoyed picking on the goody-two-shoes angel since the beginning, but he supposed his feelings just sort of evolved every since they were paired together once in Herbology in second year. Of course, she didn't pay him much attention, unless it was to boss him around or insult him. Don't ask him why that intrigued him. Maybe it was because so many other girls were actually _drawn _to his charm and devilishly handsome looks, but, you know, what could he say?

However, when it came to Lily, it was a different story. It wasn't just that she was having a bad day that time in Herbology. For some reason, she had taken on a great dislike to him, and there was nothing he could do about it. He hadn't really figured out if it was just for the chase or if he really did fancy her. However, it seemed her loathing for him wasn't going to change any time soon. He guessed it didn't help the situation that time he had been picking on Snape and he called her a Mudblood as an effect.

He shook his head at the memory. _What a stupid git,_ he thought.

He wouldn't mind giving Snivellus more detentions than he could handle with his new position, though. One of the first surprises of the new year was that Dumbledore had picked _him_ for this title - the arrogant, devil-may-care trouble-maker.

So he sat in the Heads compartment, slouched low into the bench with his feet propped up on the other. He was surprised when he had arrived before the Head Girl, and he began to wonder who it might be. Maybe that quiet girl Daniella Bostick, or maybe the Slytherin, Janine Parkinson. He shuddered at the last one and made a face, desperately hoping it wasn't her.

He sighed and tapped his fingers in a mindless beat, looking out the compartment window. He really did not want to be here. However, when the door slid open and the Head Girl Mystery was revealed, he grinned.

Lily Evans froze in the entrance of the compartment, looking horror-stricken.

"You okay there, Evans?" he snorted.

"Is this some sort of joke?" she said very quietly, which sort of freaked him out more than if she had been flipping out.

He glanced at her warily, straightening. "Uh, Lily - ?"  
"We are _not_ on a first name basis, _Potter_," she spat hastily, panicked, "Will you answer my bloody question?"

He stared. "No, it's not a joke, and yes, I'm Head Boy."

"You've got to be joking!" she cried suddenly, startling him. She looked around as if it really was joke and someone would come out laughing. So much for her taking it calmly.

James looked at her like she was mental. "Alright, crazy lady, will you calm down?" he exclaimed, "You're going to scare the little prefects."

"They're not here yet." she breathed, looking more than a little crazed.

"They will be soon, and you look like you've just been attacked, so _calm down_ for Merlin's sake. You're even freaking me out." he added, studying her warily.

She took a deep breath and smoothed her dark red hair. "You're right. You're absolutely right."

He grinned. "I don't think you've ever said that before. It's nice."

She glared at him, shoving his feet off the opposite bench and taking her place across from him. "Don't hold your breath."

James scoffed and shook his head. He would've said something more, but the compartment door slid open and he looked up to see none other than Snivellus the Great standing there. It looked like he wasn't the only one shocked - Lily didn't seem so happy either. So they hadn't patched up their friendship after all. . . .

He completely ignored James' presence as he looked at Lily, blushing slightly.

"Hey, Lily." he muttered.

She gave him a wary look. "Severus, what do you want? How did you even know I was here?"

"I heard you were Head Girl and I wanted to talk to you."

"Well, obviously, Snivelly, she doesn't want to talk to you, so you can go - "

"I didn't ask for your _help_, Potter." Lily snapped, grimacing at James.

Snape sneered at James and was about to add something, but Lily cut him off.

"Just go, Severus. The prefects will be here soon. If you really want to talk, it'll have to wait."

"But - "

"Go. Please."

He scowled and whipped around, heading back down the hallway. James opened his mouth to say something, but ended up just keeping his mouth shut, staring out the window. Lily looked up at him curiously after a moment.

"So quiet, Potter." she taunted half-heartedly.

He gave her a sidelong glance, half-smiling. "You don't honestly think I'm obnoxious _all _the time?" he asked, half-sarcastic.

Lily raised an eyebrow and was about to reply, but that's when the prefects filed in in pairs from each House. James and Lily stood as the others sat. The Slytherin's were smirking confidently as they sported their new badges, the Gryffindors weren't so boastful as they smiled and chatted with each other, the Hufflepuffs looked a little sheepish and the Ravenclaws were already waiting for instructions.

"Alright, everyone, my name is Lily and this James. We are Head Boy and Girl - "

The Slytherin boy snorted. "Surprise, surprise."

James turned his stare to him evenly and recognized the sixth year immediately. "Something you'd like to say, Yaxley?"

Yaxley sneered, but didn't answer. James kept his gaze on him a while longer before looking back to a slightly startled Lily, urging her to go on.

She cleared her throat. "Uh, right, well, you will only give detentions out to those who deserve it. If you should give out unfair detentions or other punishments, there will be severe punishments and you could loose your badge. Now, as for your other duties. . . ."

And she went on about 'responsibility' and the importance of 'setting an example'. James was pretty sure he was tuning her out as much as the Slytherins were. He grimaced at the thought.

"So . . . we can go?" the Slytherin girl asked after Lily finished, sounding slightly annoyed; probably because Lily's speech had gone on for about twelve jillion hours.

"Yeah, go ahead." Lily said, blushing slightly, and they all hurriedly left the compartment.

James turned to Lily with raised eyebrows. She glanced at him, then did a double take, frowning.

"What are you looking at?" she asked defensively.

"That was quite a speech." he noted, crossing his arms over his chest.

She grimaced, rolling her eyes. "Shut up." she grumbled.

He smirked. "Lose the attitude, Evans - I'm your comrade now. Your partner. Your roommate - "

"Stop it!" she exclaimed hastily, "You're freaking me out."

He laughed. "See you at our humble abode tonight, Evans."

"Potter, I swear I won't hesitate to - "

James didn't wait for her to finish - he had already left and was headed back down the hallway to his friends' compartment. He slid the door open to find Sirius, Remus and Peter just as he had left them: Sirius sprawled lazily across one bench, Remus sitting by the window, his arms crossed over his chest, and Peter sitting tensely, looking around jerkily and going along with the laughter to a joke he didn't understand. Remus and Sirius were bickering, because Remus wanted to put his feet up but Sirius was 'taking up the whole bloody bench'.

"Well, I have my needs, Remus, because I am a growing boy, so I need this whole bench in order to be comfortable." Sirius explained slowly, shoving Remus' feet off his lap.

Remus raised his eyebrows, placing his feet back where they were. "Luckily, I don't really care about your comfort."

James sat down beside Sirius, forcing him over so he could fit. Sirius scoffed at his two friends.

"Do you two not care about the well-being of your best friend?"

"Of our diva-esque and girlish best friend? No, not really." James butted in, grinning.

Sirius scowled. "I'm _not_ girlish."

"So you _are_ diva-esque?" Remus asked, attempting a straight face.

James chuckled and Peter did the same a little late. Before Sirius could retort, Remus turned to James expectantly.

"So? Who's Head Girl?"

James snorted. "You'll never guess," he said dryly, "It's golden girl Lily Evans."

The three of his friends burst out laughing.

"Oh, that's just too good," Sirius exclaimed, "I'll bet she was about ready to throw herself out of the train."

James rolled his eyes. "Surely you don't think I'm _that_ repulsive, Padfoot?"

"Actually, James, I think you're quite charming, handsome and dreamy!" Sirius said in a sarcastic voice two octaves too high.

Remus stared at Sirius, wide eyed. "That's going to be in my nightmares, Sirius. Thank you for that."

James, Remus and Peter laughed as Sirius grimaced, attempting to explain he was joking.


	24. I'm A Little Rusty

**I'm A Little Rusty**

Emmeline was splayed out on her bed, holding her Transfiguration essay above her as she proof-read it. She was hungry, but she wanted to get it done, so she skipped dinner, therefore, she was up in the dorm alone. She sighed and rolled over onto her stomach, determined to focus, despite her restlessness.

Right when she finished and was about to whoop in victory, there was a hasty tapping on her window. She thought it was just hail at first, considering the horrid weather, but she did a double take when she saw a floating form there. When she rushed over to the glass, she found it was someone on a _broomstick_ in the freezing cold _snow storm _outside her _window_. Then, she realized it was Remus, shakily holding the broomstick beneath him with a very uneasy expression on his face. She yelped and hurriedly swung the window open.

"Remus, what are you doing?" she exclaimed, her eyes huge.

"Come on, I want to show you something." he replied, his teeth chattering.

She studied his very unexperienced stature on the broomstick and hesitated. "Erm - your expression isn't exactly the most promising - "

"Oh, come on, Emma," he said, smirking. "Don't you have faith in me?"

She rolled her eyes, stepping on the window pane. "Unfortunately, git," she muttered, climbing onto the broomstick behind him. "Where are we going anyway?"

"It's a surprise!" he yelled over the wind, and zoomed off into the night. Okay, not that fast, considering he was nowhere near the skill level of James or Sirius, since they played Quidditch . . . but still, Emmeline hadn't been on a broomstick since first year.

The grounds of Hogwarts flew by beneath them and Emmeline held tighter onto Remus.

"Remus, where - ?"

He slowed down suddenly and they dived down into Merlin-knows-where, Emmeline screaming her head off. The next thing she knew, she was rolling on the soft grass, her and Remus' legs getting tangled. She groaned when they eventually halted and put a hand to her forehead.

"Sorry," Remus grunted, sitting up, "I'm a little rusty."

"A little?" she repeated loudly, sitting up as well. "You crash-landed! When's the last time you rode a broomstick? And don't you _dare_ say first year."

"Okay." he said simply, standing up and brushing off his cloaks.

She gaped at him. "You - you endangered our lives, do you realize that?"

"Oh, hush, Vance. Look at the view."

She turned her head and realized they were on the other side of the lake, looking over at the grounds and the twinkling lights of Hogwarts. The stars and moon shone down upon them and she moved onto her knees, her mouth open as she gazed on. She even forgot how freezing it was outside, she was so enthralled.

"How did you find this place, Remus?" she gasped.

He grinned, sitting down beside her. "Us Marauders have our ways."

"I'm sure you do." she murmured absently, her eyes still roaming the view.

"So you like it?" he asked.

She glanced at him. "No, I hate it," she said dryly, rolling her eyes, "Of course I like it, Remus! It's beautiful."

She sat closer to him and put her head on his shoulder, then he put his arms around her.

"What if we get caught?" she murmured indifferently, not really caring.

"I'll fight them off with my great and awesome powers." he murmured back, and she could feel him smiling against her head.

She smiled, too. "I don't know, Filch is pretty zippy."

"And don't even get me started on McGonagall - I swear she's about to go all kung-fu when we least expect it."

Emmeline laughed. "You'll have to step up your game."

He chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

They didn't talk for a moment, and Emmeline dreaded that they would have to go back eventually. She buried her face deeper into his shoulder and tried to forget about everything else.

"I don't want to leave." she whispered, clutching him tighter.

"Then we won't." he replied gently, stroking her hair.

Then, they stayed silent, staring out at the place that had become like their home - the only place that they felt safe. In fact, there was not a moment Emmeline had felt safer, sitting there in Remus' arms. There was no place she'd rather be.


	25. What The Hell Is That?

**What The Hell Is That?**

"What . . . what the hell is that?"

James stood with his hands on his hips, his head cocked slightly to the side, staring at what Sirius had presented to him. They were at James' house, the summer before seventh year, and James though he could predict his best friend pretty well at this point - until now.

Sirius stood with a bright grin on his face, his arms held out in a show-girl presenting manner. What sat there was a two-wheeled chunk of metal with a huge headlight, two handlebars and a leather seat - it was a motorcycle. The only reason James knew this was because Sirius had pictures of them all over his room and dorm - almost to the point of obssession.

"Drum roll, please!" Sirius exclaimed, "It's a - "

"Motorcycle." James finished, grimacing.

"No, no, not just any motorcycle," Sirius said animatedly, "It flys, James! FLYS!"

"It what?" James repeated, slightly chuckling.

"C'mon, I'll show you. Hop on." Sirius urged, climbing on.

James eyed the thing warily. "Isn't that a Muggle machine? Is it reliable?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Thought you were a Gryffindor, Potter. C'mon." he said, revving the engine.

James laughed, flipping his friend off before climbing on. "Let's go then, git."

"I can't believe you brought me here. Are you mental?"

"A little."

"That is _not_ funny."

"It's a little funny."

"Padfoot."

"Alright, calm down, James. You can do it."

The two Gryffindors stood in the woods a little ways away from none other than Lily Evans house. James stayed by Sirius' 'baby' while Sirius edged toward the street, urging James to follow.

"I don't know why you're giving me that look, I'm not moving."

Sirius sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "Prongs, I dind't want to have to go this far, but - you're acting like a Hufflepuff."

James scowled, but couldn't help but laugh a little. "You bastard!"

"Are you going to man up now?" asked Sirius expectantly.

"And do what?" James chuckled, "Just show up at her house and say 'hi'."

"It's like you're reading my mind!"

"Oh, shut it."

"Fine," Sirius sighed, slowly walking back to the motorcycle. "But we'll have come all this way for nothing."

"Yep." James agreed, watching in amusement as Sirius tried to use reverse-phsycology on him.

"And you won't get to see her beautiful face until next year."

James raised an eyebrow. "So be it."

"And I'll leave you here in the dark, scary forest."

James rolled his eyes. "You will not."

"I will, too!" Sirius countered, hopping onto the motorcycle.

James quickly jumped on behind him. "I don't think so."

Sirius pouted. "You're no fun, Prongs."

"Yeah, well, if I flew you to Dorcas' house in the middle of the night, expecting you to go talk to her, would you?"

Sirius scowled. "That . . . is irrevelant!"

James snorted. "Yeah, thought so."


	26. So Sassy

**Detention**

James was late to detention, but he wasn't too worried about it - Slughorn always forgot to supervise anyway. Although, if he didn't go, McGonagall would unleash her fury - and no one wanted that. So James sidled into the empty classroom, ready for an hour and a half of writing an essay about how he was sorry and all that rubbish by himself.

However, when he opened the door, he was pleasently surprised - two girls sat there, across the room from each other, in silence.

"Evans! Vance!" he exclaimed happily, shutting the door. "What are you two lovely ladies doing here? Surely not in _detention_?"

"Well, _Lily_ decided to play mum and - "

"It's none of your business." Lily interrupted, shooting Emmeline a glare.

"No, no, really, I'm interested. The two goody-two-shoes in _detention_? This is just hilarious." James insisted, grinning as he sat on one of the empty desks in the middle of the classroom, between the two girls.

"_Lily _followed me when I snuck out yesterday," Emmeline spat, glaring at her friend, "Slughorn caught us before we even got outside."

"Where were you going?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.

She swallowed, looking down. "Remus asked me to meet him."

James raised both his eyebrows now, immediately knowing she was lying. Him, Peter and Sirius had been caught sneaking out, too - James had forgotten the Invisibility Cloak and they tried to manage anyway, unsuccessfully - and McGonagall and Flich had caught them. The only reason James knew Emma was lying is because he knew Remus had been a werewolf in the Shrieking Shack last night - he never would've asked Emmeline to meet him.

"Is that so?" he murrmurred, "Well, I'm finding that hard to believe."

They both glared at him. "Why?" Emma snapped.

"Because we were sneaking out to meet Remus last night."

"Well - I don't know what to tell you. He asked me to meet him."

"And you're lying."

"I am not, Potter."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm - "

"Shut it, both of you! What does it matter anyway? We all got caught." Lily interrupted, scowling at them both.

"It matters more than you think." James muttered, eyeing Emmeline uneasily. Had she followed Remus? Did she know where he went every full moon? Did she know what he was?

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily grumbled, getting out some parchment and a quill.

James cleared his throat. "Er - nothing."

"Hiding something, Potter?" Emma questioned, giving him an even stare.

He paused, then playfully winked at her. "Absolutely."

Going the cocky, stereotypical James Potter route seemed the best option of the moment - the situation was really freaking him out and he couldn't let it show. If Emmeline knew too much, they were in trouble.

"Not funny." Emmeline huffed, getting out some parchment herself.

"You two are actually writing the essay?" he scoffed, changing the subject.

"Of course." Lily replied, even making an outline before she started. He rolled his eyes.

"Over-achiever." he noted, shooting her a smirk.

She met his gaze irritably. "Absolutely." she mimicked him.

He snorted. "So sassy."

They both ignored him.

"So, how're things with Remus, Emmeline?" James asked after a moment of silence.

She glanced up at him wearily. "Fine."

"You two romancin' it up?"

"Sure."

"You're not very thorough."

"Yep."

"Well," James sighed, pursing his lips. "This is boring."

"Whatever." she muttered.

"Will you stop?" Lily snapped, "I'm trying to work on an essay - that I shouldn't even have to write." she directed toward Emmeline.

She scowled. "Yes, well, if you hadn't followed me, Slughorn wouldn't have heard us arguing."

"And if you hadn't snuck out in the first place, we wouldn't even be here right now!"

"Ladies, please," James said, amused by their argument. "No catfights."

Lily stood, grumbling irritably, "I'm going to the restroom."

"Fine." Emma snapped.

"Fine." Lily exclaimed, storming out of the classroom.

"Fine." James threw in, just to irk them.

They both glowered at him before Lily slammed the door shut. James glanced at Emmeline, contemplating whether he should ask what she knew or not.

"So, why'd you follow Remus?" he finally questioned.

"I didn't _follow _him," she replied hotly, not looking up at him. "I already told you what happened."

"And I don't believe you - Sirius, Peter and I were with him that night, out on the grounds, and we got caught."

A half-lie. But still. He needed to get some answers here.

She glanced up at him, now looking slightly worried. "Then why isn't Remus in detention, too?" she shot back, gaining her wits again.

"Don't under estimate him, that skinny little thing is speedy."

"Not funny, James."

"It's true!"

"So why didn't you three run?"

"We did, but McGonagall - oh, girl, she's like lightning," James exclaimed, getting girlier and girlier as he went on, flailing his arms and crying, "and Mrs. Norris - oh girlfriend, that cat is just _cruel_ - so cruel! Then there's _Filch_, who has, like, robotic arms - _SPROUTING _FROM HIS _BACK _- "

"Oh, shut it!" she exclaimed, giggling.

James laughed a little. "Just saying."

Lily came back and didn't look very pelased to find the two of them laughing. She stomped over to her place on the floor and stuck her nose back in her essay.

"James, where's my quill?" she asked wearily after a moment, looking around.

James frowned, shrugging. "Dunno."

"Stop it, don't be a git."

James and Emmeline shared a surprised glance.

"I don't know where it is, Evans. I swear on the grave of the great _Helga Hufflepuff _- "

"Don't be an arse." Lily huffed, standing to look for it.

"I'm serious!" he insisted, but he was smiling.

She sighed and came over to him, looking underneath his desk.

"Feel free to search me." he teased, and she rolled her eyes.

"You're insufferable." she said.

"Go to Hogsmeade with me?" he asked just to annoy her, grinning.

Emmeline snorted and Lily shot him a deathly glare.

"Yeah, right," she scoffed, then sighed when she still couldn't find her quill. "Fine, I'll just tell McGonagall - oh, here it is." she muttered, finding it near her spot on the floor.

James laughed and she grimaced, saying nothing. Even Emmeline cracked a smile.

"How much longer?" Lily asked indignantly.

"An hour." Emma answered.

"You _sure_ you don't want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" James asked again, giving her a childish, hopeful grin.

She stared at him. "I _loathe _you, James."

"You don't know me." he pointed out.

"I know enough." she insisted.

"So sure." he noted quietly, studying her from underneath his eyelashes.

"C'mon, Lily, just give him a chance." Emmeline urged, coming to a baffled James' rescue.

He frowned appreciatively to her and she shrugged (how had he won over her approval so quickly? . . . The lightning-fast McGonagall must've been a good call. He'd remember that).

Lily shot her friend a look like she was mental. "No way!"

"You're always so afraid." her friend grumbled, looking away.

"And you're always naive." Lily shot back.

James knew he shouldn't step in on this one. In fact, over-dramatic womenly arguments freaked him out, so he just ended up doodling on his parchment pointedly.

"_Naive_?" Emma exclaimed, standing.

"Yes! You run off after Remus, not knowing where he was going or what he was doing - "

"He's hiding something, and I need to find out what!"

_Oh, shit,_ James thought. It was like the two had forgotten he was there.

"It's not your place."

"It _is _my place! I'm his girlfriend - "

"And he'll tell you when he's ready!"

"Just stay out of my business!"

"I'm trying to protect you!"

"You're not my mum!"

"Well, you're acting like a child!"

James really didn't want to interfere, but he had to do something - it was getting out of hand; Emmeline already had her wand out.

"Er - " James started.

"WHAT?" both Gryffindor ladies screamed, turning their wild glares to him.

He resisted the urge to cower and tried to think of something clever. "Er - well - erm . . . do you like my doodles?"

_Nice one, James,_ he thought sarcastically, but held up his parchment to them nonetheless.

"It's a Quidditch pitch." he voiced the obvious.

The two looked torn between annoyance, fury and bewilderment. Not a very good combination.

"Potter, _how adacious can you _- "

The door swung open, cutting off Lily's frightening comment. Slughorn walked in, his cheeks rosy - he was perhaps a little too friendly with the firewhiskey - and he walked contentedly to his desk.

"Hello, lovelies," he murrmurred, "Delightful night, hm?"

They all exchanged glances before grumbling incoherent agreements, the two girls settling down and sitting once again.

They spent the rest of the hour sitting there awkwardly, listening to Slughorn's meaningless ramblings and trying to ignore all the things that needed to be said.


	27. Never Let Me Go

**Never Let Me Go**

"_The heart may freeze, or it can burn - the pain will ease if I can learn - there is no future, there is no past - I live this moment as my last - there's only us, there's only this, forget regret or life is your to miss, no other road, no other way - no day but today. . . ._"

- Rent (Jonathan Larson)

Lily paced the house restlessly, as she'd done so for the past two hours. Well, she'd stopped for brief moments to either stuff food down her throat or check the clock obssessively, but nothing else stopped her. She glanced at the clock once again. One forty-five in the morning. They said they'd be back in fifteen minutes. Only fifteen more minutes of this agony.

The thunder and lightning shook the tiny house and rain wreaked havoc upon Godrics Hollow as Lily stood, distressed in the living room. She finally stopped to look out the window to the front yard and she put her fingers to her mouth nervously. That's when she saw a figure stumbling to the front door, the rain and wind knocking the mysterious person about as they struggled up the path. She gasped and sprinted out the door, leaving it wide open, to the person.

"Sirius." she breathed, grabbing his shoulders.

She could tell he was wounded, emotionally and physically. He was clutching his chest, panting, and when he met her eyes, they were pained beyond belief. She quickly ushered him inside and shut the door behind her, both of them soaked. He collapsed onto the couch and she followed him.

"What's wrong? Sirius, you're hurt, why aren't you at St. Mungo's?" she fretted and opened his long trench coat to see a large gash splitting through his shirt across his chest. "_Sirius -_ "

"Lily, there's no time," he gasped, grabbing her hand, "James - he's hurt - badly - "

"What?" she choked out.

"We need to go to St. Mungo's - "

"_Why aren't you getting help_?"

"I came to you first. . . ." he breathed, barely conscious.

She felt her chest constrict and she quickly grabbed him, Apparating straight to St. Mungo's. She was suddenly in the patient waiting room. Wizards in witches in either hospital gowns or official St. Mongo's dress looked over in alarm and she looked around frantically.

"_Help_! Help me, please!" she yelled, and two nurses rushed over, quickly summoning a stretcher for Sirius. "Please, my husband - I need to see him - James Potter - "

"Yes, they're waiting for you, ma'am, just take a deep breath. He lost a lot of blood. . . ." the nurse trailed off uneasily.

Not a 'he's going to be okay' or a 'he almost didn't make it, but he's managing' - not even a 'we're trying our best'. Lily felt empty as the nurse lead her up to the hospital rooms. As soon as the nurse let her through, Lily catapulted through the door, not looking at anyone else in the room except her husband.

"James!" she cried, rushing to his side. She sat down in the chair next to the tiny cot and studied him worriedly. He was unconscious. There were many tiny cuts on his face - but his torso was wrapped in gauze. She didn't really want to know what was underneath. His glasses had been removed and put on the table beside and she put her hand on his cheek.

"Please," she whispered, "James, please, don't do this to me."

There was suddenly a hand on her shoulder, and Lily knew it was Remus. She just knew his hesitant, yet comforting touch.

"He was hit by an unknown curse, Lily . . . but - but I'm sure he'll be okay - he _has _to be okay - "

"Who did it?" she whispered, looking up at him with glazed eyes.

He hesitated, glancing at the others. "Lily, I - "

"_Who_?" she cut him off harshly.

He swallowed. "It was Snape."

She instinctively recoiled, gasping in shock. She should've been expecting news like this - Severus killing people, committing the retched deeds Death Eaters did. But she just wasn't prepared for this - her former best friend attempting to kill her husband. It was just too much. Besides, no matter how much she tried not to, she still cared for Severus. A small inkling of her heart, no matter what he did, still would.

But now she'd give anything for that small piece to be shattered.

"Lily, I'm sorry - we - we tried . . . "

Lily didn't respond. She grasped James' hand, not taking her eyes off his face, and put it to her lips, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Let's give her some time." she heard Remus mutter, ushering the rest of the Order out of the room.

Only when she heard the door click shut did Lily allow herself to actually cry.

"James," she whispered, running her hands over his face, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for taking so long to finally agree to date you back at Hogwarts. I'm sorry for taking up the whole bathroom counter with my rubbish. I'm sorry for snapping at you when I get cranky - which is happening more and more often. . . . I'm sorry for forgetting your birthday this year," she sniffled, tilting her head back to face the cieling before letting it drop back down. "I'm such an idiot. And I'm . . . I'm just sorry. I can't lose you - not after we lost Dorcas. I love you too much. I promise, if you come back to me, I'll finally let you eat ice cream for lunch. I'll let you dance around in your underwear to Muggle classic rock. I'll give you a decent portion of the bathroom counter. I'll let you play pranks on our neighbors - I'll even let you name the baby, for Merlin's sake - " she cut off, overwhelmed as she hung her head. She held his hand to her lips again. "I - "

"Don't think I'm forgetting that."

A groggy murmur. Her head snapped up and James was stirring slightly in his tiny bed, a small smile on his lips. His eyes were barely open, but he was definately awake now, back to his old goofy self.

"Name the baby, you say?" he asked in a scratchy voice, amused, "Wow . . . you must really like me."

Lily opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"And I'm definately taking up the dancing around the house offer - you still have that Journey record, don't you?"

Lily finally came to her senses and she flung herself over him and grabbed his face, kissing every part of him she could reach. James laughed hoarsely, limply holding her waist and attempting to kiss her back.

"I'm guessing he's awake?"

The door swung open and Sirius, Remus and Emmeline walked in, grins on their faces as they noticed James was alright. Remus was supporting Sirius, who had his arm around him, but looked pretty much healthy overall.

Lily sat back down in her chair, but kept holding both of James' hands, beaming.

"I get to name the baby!" James exclaimed, limply pumping his fist in the air.

"Dear Merlin, Lily - you didn't. . . ?" Remus trailed off, and Lily shrugged. Remus and Sirius exhanged a wide-eyed glance. "I hope you know what you got yourself into."

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows. "Elvendork, James - it's unisex, don't forget."

"Of course, Sirius, that was the first on my list." James scoffed.

Emmeline rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "James Potter, you better let Lily have a say in this, or I will personally pulverize you."

James rolled his eyes back at her. "Of course I will, Emma, don't get your wand in a knot. What really got me going was the classic rock thing. And the pranks on those stupid neighbors. Merlin, they drive me insane."

"They're nice!" Lily protested.

"They knocked over my motorcycle 'on accident'!" Sirius cried, scowling.

Emmeline and Lily rolled their eyes.

"Hey, I'm coming over when you get dancing privledges, whether you like it or not." Remus told James, winking.

' "Yeah, if you're good, Lupin." James joked, pointing to him.

"Don't let it get to your head, James." Lily smirked, sitting on the edge of his bed and running her hands lightly through his hair.

He grinned up at her. "Too late."


	28. I Love You, Too

_A/N: This chapter is extremely girly, I must say. But I just got done watching P.S. I Love You, and so this is inspired by one of the first scenes. :)_

_ Happy reading!_

**I Love You, Too**

Lily sat in bed, reading a book in the light of the bedside lamp. James was in the bathroom, humming a horrid tune as he brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. She rolled her eyes as he started singing, '_Can't Fight This Feeling_'. He really liked those classic rock Muggle records.

As James finally emerged from the bathroom, he halted in the doorway, belting, "_It's time to bring this ship into the shore - and throw away the oars forever - _"

Lily hushed him hastily. "You'll wake Harry, James!" she whispered, but couldn't help but giggle.

He grinned at her, climbing into bed and grabbing her by the waist. He pulled her into a deep kiss, and she smiled, putting her book on the nightstand blindly.

"Wait," Lily said in between one of their kisses, "The light."

He groaned, nuzzling her neck. "No, Lily, please!" he whined melodramatically.

She laughed, whacking his chest. "Do it, you git! You were up last."

He groaned and heaved a huge sigh, just for show, getting up to turn off the light. "I hope you're _happy_."

The light shut off and then only the moonlight from the windows lit the room. She smiled as he came back to bed, drawing her close to him. He kissed her lightly and she put her hand on his cheek as they drew back, studying him.

The coversation they had been having more opften lately creeped into her mind again, and she bit her lip.

"Maybe we _could _have another baby, James," she whispered, "Someone for Harry to look over at Hogwarts."

James sighed with pained eyes. "Lily, we've talked about this - we don't want to bring another baby into this war. It's too dangerous."

She swallowed, then nodded. "I know - it's just hard. And I'm scared." she whispered - and she wouldn't be able to admit it to anybody else.

He pulled her closer. "I know, love. I know." he murmured, kissing her cheek, and then her lips.

Then, they both groaned - the baby started to cry.

"It's your turn." she muttered against his lips.

"I got the light!" he argued.

"That doesn't count!" she protested, smiling despite herself.

"Yes, it does!" he laughed, pulling back a bit. "That was very hard for me to do, Lily, I don't think you understand."

"Don't you want to see your son's face before you go to sleep?"

"Don't you even go there," he chuckled, and kissed her again. "Trying to pull the guilt trip on me." he growled, smiling against her cheek.

"Fine," she sighed, pulling away from him and getting out of the bed. "I hate you."

"No, you don't," he said, grinning at her as she walked out the door and glared at him. "I love you!" he called after her.

"Jerk!" she called back, but he could hear the smile in her voice.

After ten or so minutes, Lily came back, running a hand through her hair. "I just needed to change his diaper."

"And you wondered why I didn't want to go." he scoffed.

She grabbed one of Harry's toys from the ground and threw it at him. "Merlin, you're insufferable."

He winked at her, chuckling. She was almost to the bed when she tripped over another one of Harry's toys and ended up smacking her hand on one of the wooden chest at the end of their bed.

"Oh, bloody hell!" she cried, cradling her hand to her chest as she half-laughed and half-whimpered, "Ow!"

"What's wrong, love?" he asked as she fell back into the bed, groaning.

"My hand!" "I hit it on the bloody chest that you _insisted _we have there!" she complained, biting her lip,

"Oh, come here," he said, rolling his eyes. He grabbed her hand and kissed it, laughing quietly. "Better?"

"_No_," she said, still whimpering-slash-laughing, "Your kisses aren't magical, no matter what you believe."

He laughed again, shaking his head as he pulled her close. "Lily Potter, you are the reason I go on, you crazy - "

"Don't you _even _say 'bitch', James Potter," she laughed, holding a hand to his mouth, "unless you want to unleash my wrath."

He grinned and she took her hand away. "I was going to say 'angel', actually." he lied, looking at her innocently.

She rolled her eyes, turning her back to him. "You are such a pain." she muttered, a small smile on her lips.

He snaked his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek, smiling. "I love you, too, Lily."


	29. Let's Make a Memory

_A/N: Oh, and I just wanted to say, for anyone who was wondering, yes, I will make one for Lily and James' wedding, but it'll be one of the last ones, so . . . yeah. :)_

_Happy reading!_

**Let's Make a Memory**

"Harry - Harry, sweetie, let go - Harry!" exclaimed a flustered Lily as she tried to loosen her son's grip on James' broomstick, "Merlin, James, he's as strong as you!"

James pretended to be offended, placing a hand feebly on his chest. "I do believe, madame, that I have a bit more strength than our two month old baby," he huffed, then walked over to Harry's high-chair, gently taking the broom away from his son, who was sitting in his high-chair. "Sorry, Harry, that would be daddy's. We'll get you one soon."

"Soon?" Lily repeated, raising an eyebrow at him, "And when did we decide this?"

"Oh, we didn't, dear," he said happily, kissing her forehead before going to make himself a sandwhich with a flick of his wand. "I did."

Lily scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. "If he gets hurt, it's on you, _dear_." she said bitterly, opening their fridge.

His arms ensnared her waist from behind and she rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself. "Oh, Lily, he won't get hurt," he murmured into her hair, "He's going to learn from me and I'm the best!"

Lily laughed and turned in his arms, slapping his arm. "Your ego baffles me sometimes, James."

He grinned mischeiviously and kissed her before releasing her. He took a half of a sandwhich in his hand and chomped at it with the same grin on his face.

"Well, I _am_ the best." he boasted, shrugging as he leaned on the counter.

She shook her head and turned back to the fridge. "You're impossible."

"No, no, no. Harry will _not_ be joining the Slug Club if I have anything to do about it," Sirius said, shielding the Potter's son with his arms, "I _am_ his godfather."

Harry was crawling around, playing with his mini, baby-designed snitch as Sirius and Lily and James were lounging in the living room.

"We're definately not arguing with you on that one, Sirius," Lily laughed lightly, "Relax. Harry will be fine when he goes to Hogwarts - we'll all be supporting him."

"And Sirius, you've been using the godfather excuse for everything and it's starting to make me second-guess our decision," James said, smirking, then imitated Sirius in a falsely high-pitched voice, "'_I get to rock him to sleep, because I'm his godfather_'; '_I'm going to buy him a broomstick, because I'm his godfather_'; '_I get to take him to the Hogwarts Express because I'm his godfather_'; and there's my personal favorite, '_I get to live here with him, because I'm his godfather_'. Need I go on? You do realize how bloody recidulous that is?" James laughed, because he knew Sirius was joking when he said _most_ of those things.

Sirius scowled deeply. "Well - I - I'm just _concerned_ for my godson's _sanity_ and _well-being_, which would both be deprived of him, should he join that horrendous club."

"Well, there's nothing to worry about, anyway," Lily said, sipping her drink, "Slughorn's quit."

"What? Why?" Sirius asked, frowning.

"Don't know. Dumbledore told me."

"I wonder who'll take his place?" James wondered aloud.

"They better be good - for the sake of my godson."

"For Merlin's sake, Sirius."


	30. Blink

_Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 at midnight tomorrow! I'm so exicted! :D_

_ By the way, I've decided to start dating these, just because I think it'll make it a little less confusing. Oh, and I'm sorry if Remus is a bit OOC, but it's sort of how I imagine he'd act in this type of situation. I dunno._

_ Oh, and if you're a musical theater person - or anyone else who doesn't despise theater music, I suppose - and you haven't heard/gotten into 'Rent' (and you have an open mind) PLEASE do so! It's truely amazing. So, there. That's my tribute to Rent. :)_

_ This takes place during Harry's fifth year, if you don't want to do the math. :)_

_ Anyway, happy reading!_

**Forget Regret**

"_Look, I find some of what you teach suspect, because I'm used to relying on intellect - but I try to open up to what I don't know, because reason says I should've died three years ago. . . ._"

- Rent (Jonathan Larson)

_**October 5, 1995**_

In the middle of Godric's Hollow, a man stood looking more alone than any person should feel in their whole lives. Bundled in a black wool trench coat and other such nessecities in the crisp autumn air, he stared up at the house with devestatingly pained eyes.

He knew he shouldn't be there. But he had to escape from that horrid house and come to this place as some sort of escape for a while. Just for a moment, pretend everything was okay - back to normal.

But he knew that would never be the case.

Nothing would ever be 'okay' - not with Voldemort around. . . .

Fourteen years ago, one could've said Sirius Black had lost everything. His girlfriend, the majority of his best friends, his godson - not much had been left for him. Especially when it came to getting framed by his friend for the murder of his best friend, getting arrested and thrown in Azkaban and spending twelve year there until he finally escaped - yes, one could've also said Sirius had had an unfortunate life.

Now, flashing forward to the present, Sirius still didn't have James or Dorcas or Lily - he didn't even have his freedom as an innocent man . . . but he had Harry. And that's what would pull him through however many years he had left of his life.

Sirius could still remember the last time he was at Godric's Hollow, standing in the house before him - when he'd been the first to see Lily and James' dead bodies.

Sirius flinched away from the memory, only glimpsing back once more to remember him looking at Harry's face, the scar fresh and red on his forehead. Sirius closed his eyes and sighed before looking back at the house that was sitting there very innocently - almost eerily so.

So many memories - so much laughter and tears, so much joy and devastation. He could almost imagine seeing Lily through the window, running to catch up with Harry, who was tyring to catch his play-snitch. And then James would either be trying to figure out the TV or radio, eating something, or, most likely, trying to catch Lily, the love of his life.

Sirius blinked, and their laughing faces were gone. It reminded him of how he felt when they died - like he blinked, and, all the sudden, they were gone.

He sighed again and shook his head.

Then, there was a hand on his shoulder, and he whipped around. Remus Lupin was standing there, a sad, understanding expression on his face.

"The anniversary's coming up soon." the thin man noted lightly, as if the subject was completely normal and it wasn't absolutely absurd for them to be standing in plain sight, especially Sirius. Remus stepped up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him and looked whistfully up at the little house, clasping his hands behind his back.

Sirius swallowed, looking up at the house as well. "Yeah. Reckon James'll appreciate some dungbombs on his - " he cut off abruptly and cleared his throat - he was never able to bring himself to say the word 'grave'. It was a pathetic way of Sirius holding onto them, but it didn't change anything.

However, Remus pretended he didn't notice his slip-up and laughed. "I'm sure he'd love that."

"Probably don't have a Zonko's, wherever he is." Sirius muttered, half-smiling as he glanced at the sky.

Remus snorted. "Please. Wherever James is, he'll make sure he can play pranks, with or without the extra stuff."

Sirius chuckled. "Very true, Moony. Very true."

Remus glanced at him with a slight smile, chuckling. "No one's called me that in a _long _time."

"Probably because it's only me who would call you that these days - and I've been gone a long time." Sirius replied, somewhat dryly.

"Maybe so." Remus agreed quietly.

They stood in silence for a moment before Remus started to rock back and forth on his feet, and Sirius knew what was coming -

"You know, we probably should've died a long time ago."

Well. It wasn't that.

Siruis glanced over at him, his eyebrows slightly raised. "Yeah?" Sirius inquired, a chuckle escaping his mouth.

"Especially you." Remus continued, frowning thoughtfully.

Sirius nodded, half-shurgging. "That makes sense."

"Especially if you think of all that we've been through," he added, then paused. "What you've been through."

"I agree, but, uh, what's with the morbid death talk?" Sirius questioned, turning to face his friend.

Remus shrugged, and Sirius suddenly noticed how exhausted the scrawny, worn man really looked. "I don't know about you, but I can't come here without thinking of it. I don't kid myself in thinking this was a place of life for them - I mean, it was . . . until they were killed in it, that is."

It was more like a nonchalant musing than a depressed statement and Sirius stood in shock at the bluntness and the honesty of Remus' words. Then, he turned back to the house.

"Yeah. I reckon so." he replied lamely.

A silence.

"You know, you're an idiot for stepping foot out of Grimmauld Place."

Ah, there is was. Sirius sighed.

"Yep."

"You could've been caught."

"Most likely."

"By pretty much any witch or wizard, actually."

"Possibly."

"And you should probably get back."

"Probably."

A pause.

"Quick butterbeer first?"

"Let's go."

And Sirius realized with a warm feeling that it felt as if him and Remus had never been apart since their days at Hogwarts.

So, Moony and Padfoot walked along the street, chuckling the whole way - just like the old days.


	31. The Words I Said

**Cna You Feel the World Shake From the Words That I Said?**

"_I need a sign to let me know you're here, all of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere - I need to know that things are going to look up, 'cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilt from a cup - and there is no place safe and no safe place to put my head, when you can feel the world shake from the words that I said. . . ._"

- Train

_**March 10, 1979**_

Remus Lupin was not having a good day.

First, he had become a little to cozy with the firewhiskey the previous night - thanks to the death of one of his fellow Order members - and had woken up with a horrid banging in his head. He had taken a aiding potion, of course, but it had only dulled it, which, curiously, made it more irritating.

Second, he was running late for a meeting with the Order. He had taken sanctuary in James and Lily's house (considering he couldn't nessecarily afford a humble abode at the moment) and they had wanted to wait for him, but he urged them to go on without him. Then, as usual, he got distracted doing a number of other things, a major one of them being his biggest dillema with himself of the moment: thinking.

Which lead to his third problem. His third problem was probably the worst and most obnoxious problems he had ever had: he couldn't stop thinking. And you couldn't stop yourself from thinking. What was really bloody awful, however, was when the problem wasn't nessecarily you thinking in general . . . it was _what _you were thinking about.

Or _who_, in Remus' case.

And that _who_ would be none other than Emmeline Vance, his ex-girlfriend.

Remus swallowed and ran a hand through his absolutely rediculous-looking mussed-up hair, and, as Remus glanced in the mirror - Merlin forbid - it almost looked like a brown version of James'. Remus shuddered and leaned in closer to the mirror, rubbing a hand along his stubble. To shave or not to shave . . . ? Nope. He wasn't in the mood.

Remus wasn't really in the mood for anything nowadays. He actually was being a right coward; he had tried to stay away from the Order right after him and Emmeline's breakup - that is, until she left without a warning. No one really knew where she went, just that it was willingly. A note was left by her, saying that it was a nessecary escape. (They also cast charms on it to see if it wasn't a fake note planted by a Death Eater or whatnot. But it wasn't.)

_A nessecary escape_. What kind of rubbish was that? _All _the Order members needed to an 'escape' but none of them were running!

Remus scoffed to himself and started brushing his teeth vigorously, glaring at his reflection. He was still wearing the same clothes from the night before - brown slacks and white button down shirt and a loosened tie hanging haphazardly off his neck.

Or maybe it was from two nights before . . . ? Remus couldn't really remember.

James and Sirius - and pretty much everyone else in the Order - had tried to get him out of his funk, but it was useless. Especially without a proper goodbye from Emmeline. It was a rediculous situation that Remus had gotten himself into, and he swore never again to get involved in a romantic relationship - it was just too complicated, and Remus' life was complicated enough. James and Sirius would think he was joking, but Remus was quite serious.

He glanced at his watch. The meeting started at ten o'clock - it was ten-ten. Remus cursed, pursing his lips. He grabbed his wand and messenger bag, slinging it over his shoulder and sniffed as he hopped over his maze of clothes and other such things to the door of the guest bedroom, grunting. Remus felt bad for having his room such a mess as a guest - but he didn't let Lily enter anyway, so he guessed his neck was saved, for now.

Remus swung the door open and looked up only to choke on nothing in paticular, his eyes bugging out wide. Never had Remus thought he would actually make such an expression, and he could only imagine how grand of a laugh the Marauders would have just looking at him right then -

For Emmeline Vance stood there, biting her lip through her smile as she subtly bounced on the balls of her feet, studying Remus' expression in excited anticipation. He guessed he stood there in silence, gaping, for a good two minutes before he actually remembered how his vocal chords functioned.

"Wha - what . . . what the . . . what is going on?" he finally managed, dropping his bag and wand to the floor distractedly.

She broke into a grin and threw her arms around him. "Remus, I'm back! I heard you were staying here, so I dropped by to say hello. I can't believe it's already been a month, I - "

"You - you dropped by to say 'hello'?" Remus repeated, almost hysterical. He was in complete shock, looking at the girl like she'd lost her mind. She seemed to slowly gather from his expression that he wasn't nessecarily happy to see her, and her smile started to fade.

"Well, yes, I thought you'd be happy to see me - "

"Emma, you broke it off between us, and then left without saying goodbye! Not just to me, but to anyone!" Remus exclaimed, shaking his head incredulously.

She looked taken aback, stepping away from him. "I left a note, Remus, explaining - "

"That it was a nessecary escape, yes, we all read it," he laughed humorlessly, "We all need an escape, Emmeline, but do you see any of us _running_? NO! How can you be such a _coward_?"

Her face heated up in anger and she balled her hands into fists. "I thought you'd be _glad_ I was trying to sort things out!"

"Why the _hell_ would I be _glad_ about anything to do with you?" he yelled, "You left me! We have nothing to do with each other anymore! You're acting like the world revolves around _you_, and there is so much more going on right now that doesn't have to do with you, or me, or us, alright?" Remus said the words, realizing their meaning himself, like a slap in the face. "We, our relationship, is insignificant compared to what we're trying to accomplish with the Order, don't you see? And you just ran away from that! If you got spooked once, don't think it's not going to happen again."

She stood there, stunned. Her face had gone from blood-red to deathly pale, and a little spark in her eyes died out. Remus didn't even acknowledge if he went too far - he was on a roll, and he was just so . . . _angry_. He was so angry, and he didn't know any other way to release his fear and anxiety and rage.

"Remus, I'm sorry - " she croaked.

"No, I'm sorry, Emma, that you're an untrustworthy, conniving, manipulative _coward_."

Two things happened then: Emmeline slapped him so hard, his face whipped to the side, and James Potter Apparated right beside them so the were now in a lovely triangle.

"Oh. Hello there," James said in an airy voice, nodding to Emmeline, "Just came to say, er, Remus, you're late for the, er, meeting. It started twenty minutes ago. . . ."

Niether answered. The ex-couple were staring at each other with blazing eyes, both so enraged they couldn't move. And James just stood there, looking between the two with his mouth slightly agape and his eyebrows raised.

A half-smile started to form on his lips as he held his arms out, exclaiming in gleeful relaization, "Do not tell me you two were actually _fighting_! You two _never _fight! This is monumental!"

Too late did James realize the other two were not in the mood. They both turned their fiery glares to him and he cowered, immediately backing off.

"Okay, okay, alright, okay. I get the point." he mumbled.

"Well, I guess all that needed to be said has been said," Emmeline murmured, and, to the boys astonishment, she sniffled, tears starting to streak down her cheeks and she backed up to the stairs. "Remus has finally said what he needed to say - and I understand now."

Remus swallowed, regret now showing in his eyes. "Emma, wait - "

"No," she whispered as she put her hand on the railing, "Just - it doesn't matter now."

And she ran down the stairs, wiping her tears as she went. James let out a low whistle and Remus glared at him, slapping him upside he head.

"Are you mental? You have the worst sense of social skills I've ever encountered. Probably why Lily hated you the first six years of Hogwarts." Remus grumbled, only half-joking

"Oh, hush, Moony. You two will work it out." James insisted, following Remus back into his frighteningly messy room.  
"I don't know if I want to, you know?" he murmured, sitting on the bed. "I can't be in a relationship right now, man, not in these times. It's too stressful, too hard."

His friend frowned, smart-James shining through for a moment. "Remus, I don't know if you're being very accurate about this - I mean, you've only experienced a relationship in this situation with one girl."

"I'll try to gain her friendship again," he murmured, his eyes downcast. "But I can't be in a relationship again. It wouldn't be fair."

James locked his jaw. "Don't tell me you're talking about being a - "

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Remus said, meeting James' glare evenly.

"Dammit, Remus - "

"Not today, Prongs," Remus pleaded, his eyes begging, "Not today."

James stayed silent for a moment, studying his friend. He would covince him one day. One day, Remus Lupin would be happy. James would make sure of that, no matter what.

"Alright, Moony. Not today."


	32. The Art of All Things Obscene and Yoga

_A/N: I would greatly advise listening to this song while reading this: Fuck You, by Cee-Lo. (Or 'Forget You', if language offends you or whatever.) It just sets the mood, and it is definately a huge part of this chapter. :) Youtube it!_

_ Happy reading!_

**The Art Of All Things Obscene and Yoga**

_**September 23, 1981**_

"_I see you drive 'round town with the girl I love, and I'm like, 'fuck you'!_"

"James Potter, watch your language!"

"Sorry, Lily, I just love this song."

"You know, you're not even supposed to listen to music when you're doing yoga. Well, unless it's calming and soothing. And this is, like, Muggle funk."

"Well, I love it!"

Lily walked into the living room, stirring the pancake mix with a small smile on her lips. It still baffled and amused her to no end how James had fallen in love with Muggle music. Her husband sat on the floor in an uncomfortable-looking yoga position, singing along with the music blaring from the speakers.

"_Now baby, baby, baby, why you wanna wanna hurt me so bad? I tried to tell my mama, but she told me this is one for your dad - _"

"And our son is in the next room. I don't want him learning obscene language at an early age."

James switched to another oh-so-comfortable-looking position, balancing himself on his head, and he wrinkled his nose. "Lily, don't use the word 'obscene' until you're at least fifty. It's not becoming."

She smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "James, you're acting obscene."

He rolled his eyes, still on his head. "Oh, how very mature."

She rolled her eyes back. "Next to you, that's nothing."

"I'm not going to take that as an insult." he said, eyeing her with playful narrowed eyes.

"You should." she shot back, her eyebrows raised.

"You're beautiful." he replied with a smirk, his usual statement for when he couldn't think of a come-back.

"Shut it, Potter."

He winked at her and finally got off his head, rolling onto his feet just in time for him to sing -

"_WHY?" _he yelled along to the music passionately, "_Why? Why? I love you! I still love you!_"

He took the batter bowl away from her and set it on the couch, dancing the whole way. She couldn't help but laugh as he pulled her into a slow-dancing position but moved in time to the up-beat song.

"_I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough, said 'fuck you, and fuck her,' -_ "

"James, Harry!" she protested, laughing despite herself.

He laughed into her hair, twirling her out before pulling her back into him. "Go get him, and we can have a Potter Dance Party!"

She rolled her eyes but went into the kitchen to get her son anyway, who was grinning and clapping off-beat to the music. She giggled and scooped him up, swinging him in her arms as she twirled back into the living room.

"_Said, if I was richer, I'd still be with yah - ain't that some shit?_"

She shook her head again at the language, but she figured Harry couldn't understand it anyway. He gurgled happily at the sight of his happy mom and dad dancing and Lily giggled again, tickling his nose as she swayed to the music. James danced like his life depended on it, and as if he had no pride whatsoever. He jumped onto the coffee table - his usual dancing spot, as Lily knew so well - and started performing the usual male dance moves - pelvic thrusting, among the other _obscene _things.

Lily realized, as the song came on again, that it was on repeat and rolled her eyes at her husband for the third time that day, shaking her ehad. However, as she danced like there wouldn't be a tomorrow, her son in her arms, she couldn't care less.

"_I pity the foo-oo-ool who falls in love with you!_" James sang loudly, piercing her ears with a completely off-key high note.

"What the bloody hell was _that_?"

The voice was quickly followed by a person, who stood in the doorway a moment later. Three more people were immediately behind him, and the Potters froze. Sirius, Remus and the Prewett twins, Fabian and Gideon were standing there. They all watched them, their smiling faces agape at the scene.

"We're having a Potter Dance Party!" James finally announced, throwing his arms in the air. "Care to join?"

"Care to join?" Gideon repeated and stepped forward, already starting to move to the music, "Hell yes! This song is wicked!"

"You finally convinced Lily to dance with you?" Remus asked jokingly.

James laughed, making an _obscene_ gesture to him and Lily stuck her tongue out at him. Sirius did the Macarena over to her, grinning at Harry. Lily sighed and handed her son over to him, knowing that is what he wanted.

"When you get older, Prongs and I will teach you the best dance moves ever invented, yeah?" Siruis cooed to Harry.

Lily scowled. "You will _not_ teach my son how to pelvic thrust!"

"Oh, Lily, don't go all McGonagall on us - dance!" Fabian laughed, offering her his hand. She smiled, taking it, and he spun her around, both of them grinning madly.

Siruis joined James on the coffee table, Harry in tow, and Remus and Gideon started doing the moonwalk in synchronization across the living room. Fabian still twirled around with Lily and she laughed harder than she had in a long time.

"_I see you drive 'round town with the girl I love, and I'm like, 'fuck you'. . . ._"

The bowl of pancake batter sat forgotten on the armchair.


	33. Werewolves, Haircuts and Thank You's

_A/N: This one is loooong! Wow. Well, I'd written this a while ago and added onto it, so - here you go! I'm having a bunch of family over for Thanksgiving, and I know a lot of authors will be away having family time - but I always snatch a spare moment to write, so you'll still hear from me! :)_

_So, happy thanksgiving! I'm thankful for all my readers - once again, it makes my day to know people enjoy it! Thanks, guys._

_Happy reading and happy Thanksgiving!_

_P.S. - the dude who sits next to me in my French class last week asked his friends behind us why we celebrated Thanksgiving - 'Like, when did it, like, start? Is it just, like, a teaser for Christmas?' Not kidding, he actually asked the prior idiotic question and he actually says 'like' that many times in one sentence - and I had to resist the urge to bang my head against the table right then and there. . . . Boys. Good God._

**The Werewolf, the Haircut and the Thank You**

_**December 4, 1976**_

"It'll be fine, Pete, we did this all the time last year." James tried to calm Peter as they all shuffled toward the doors of Hogwarts under his invisibility cloak.

"Yeah, but - "

"Okay, Wormtail, you need to shut it; I see Filch coming towards us." Sirius muttered as he glanced down at the open Marauder's Map he was holding.

"Brilliant." James muttered.

They all went faster and they were nearly outside when they heard a cat's meow from behind them. They stopped moving for fear Mrs. Norris would hear. James glanced behind him and saw the cat's piercing eyes staring at their general direction, Filch standing protecively behind her with a lantern.

"Who's there?" he called out gruffly, his paranoid eyes wide.

There was no sound and Sirius had to clamp a hand over Peter's mouth to keep him from breathing too loud. Filch eventually moved on a minute later, seeming reluctant, and the three immediately made their way outside, towards the Whomping Willow.

"That was so close!" Peter squeaked when they were outside.

"Yes, we know, Peter, we were there." Sirius snapped, but, at the look on Peter's face, he back-tracked, sighing, "Sorry, mate. Just on edge 'cause we're late."

"C'mon, Moony's already changed." James muttered.

When they were near enough, Peter changed into rat form and scurried forward, pressing the knot on the thrashing tree nervously. Sirius and James nodded to each other before they changed into their Animagus forms. James found it was a lot easier to be rid of worries when he was an animal. He gently scooped the invisibility cloak in his mouth and Sirius took the Map in between his teeth. His slobber got on it and James nudged him with his head irritably. Sirius ignored him and they both bolted for the entrance in the tree. Peter was waiting for them there and he scrambled in first. Sirius and James raced to get there before the other but ended up getting stuck in the hole together. Sirius growled and wiggled forward, but James leaped ahead first. He turned his head slightly to give him a triumphant look - or as much as he could in Animagus form - and Sirius growled before they proceeded up the secret passageway to the Shrieking Shack.

They could already hear Remus pounding and whining halfway there, and they hurried a bit more, especially since Peter was already there. When they finally emerged into the dumpy, disheveled house, they saw Peter waiting for them at the base of the creaky staircase. James repressed a sigh at their cowardly friend and dropped the invisibility cloak at the base of the stairs before striding up the stairs first. The crashing and moaning became louder as he made his way down the hallway and nudged open the door to the first door on the right. Remus, in his massive werewolf form, was there, making a huge catastophe of the room. When he felt Sirius behind him, he walked forward a step. Remus whirled around and let out a low growl. James trotted around to his side nudged him forward, as usual, and Remus snarled at him, but didn't advance. Sirius went over to his other side and urged him forward as well. Remus was still hesitant, heaving loudly, and, when James pushed him forward again, he lashed out his claw and slashed James' snout, leaving a gash where his cheek would be in human form.

James recovered quickly and exchanged a glance with Sirius. They both shoved him forward and he finally sprinted ahead of them, out toward the Forbidden Forest, like last year and the two years before.

Sirius, James and Peter ran in a slightly triangular formation on the sides and in back of Remus, Peter in the rear. Nothing unusual happened, except Remus got a little annoyed with James again and made a gash in his shoulder as well. Sirius had gotten a few cuts and bruises, too, during their time out.

When they changed back into human form at the Shireking Shack many hours later, their wounds became more painful, but James ignored it. It seemed Sirius had the same method, but Peter kept asking if they were okay as they made their way back to the castle.

"Yes, for the last time, Peter, we're okay! Does it look like we're in serious pain? No. Stop acting like a bloody woman, mate. Get yourself together." James finally exclaimed after Peter's twentieth time asking them if they were hurt badly.

Peter fell silent, biting his fingernails nervously. James and Sirius exchanged a grimace before they had to seperate ways. James let them take the invisibility cloak and he took the map. He made his way up to the Heads dormitory. He glanced at the Map to see if Filch or any of the Professors - or Peeves, for that matter - were close by and sighed in relief when he saw none. He did a double take at the Heads dormitory, though. Lily Evans was pacing in the common room.

He sighed. "She really needs to get out more often." he muttered, making a point to go slower on his way.

When he finally built up enough courageous man-power to go through the portrait hole, Lily was indeed striding back and forth in front of the fire. Of course, their common room wasn't as big as the House common rooms, but it was definately too large for two people. They also had their own bedrooms and bathrooms. He had managed to sneak by her - he thought she'd been asleep - earlier that night, but obviously, he wasn't as stealthy as he thought. Now he was going to have to face the obssessive, goodie-two-shoes wrath of Lily Evans.

"Where the _hell_ have you been?" she yelled as James closed the door behind him. Then, she caught sight of his face. "And what happened to you? What were you doing?"

James sighed, wincing as he touched the gash on his cheek. "Sirius, Remus, Peter and I were out visiting Hagrid. Why?"

She gaped at him. "Because you were out after hours and you're the Head Boy, Potter," she exclaimed, then frowned, "And that is complete rubbish!"

James frowned inwardly. He thought it was petty good, considering he'd just made it up on the spot. "Actually, it's not," he countered, then grabbed his wand from his back pocket and touched in gingerly to his cheek, murmuring, "_Episky_."

After the wound sealed up, he did the same to his other wounds as Lily rambled on, "It is, Potter, and it's my business to know. I'm Head Girl; I'll find out sometime."

James grimaced. "I really doubt that."

Lily glared at him. "Why do you think I'm so much _lower_ than you? Are _you _prejudiced, too?"

James furrowed his brow. "Of course not. How could you even think that?"

"How could I _not_ think that?" she spat, "Not many people aren't these days."

"Well, no, I'm not," he replied angrily, "and no, I'm not telling you where I was."

"But - "

"Just - let it go, Evans. You're going to stress yourself out even more which leads to you taking it out on me, which leads to - this. So," James sighed, wearily climbing the stairs to his room, "I would prefer if you would just keep your pretty little nose out of it, alright?"

And with that, James shut the door to his room, leaving a frozen Lily with no one to glare at.

_**December 13, 1979**_

James sat in Potions and was sure Lily didn't even notice him and his friends sitting in the back of the room. He watched her most of the class period, and wondered what her and her friends were talking about. He voiced this quietly to Sirius and Remus - Peter wasn't in this class period with them.

"Probably just some chick stuff." Sirius shrugged, dropping three flattened cockroachs into his cauldron.

"Yeah, but . . . I dunno. What if they're talking about a boy? What if Lily's confessing to them her undying love for someone?" James fretted, bringing his fingernails to his mouth.

Sirius stared at him, and blinked, before ranting, "Oh, my God. You're officially a Hufflepuff."

James put a hand feebly to his chest, gasping melodramatically. "How _dare_ you?"

The other two snickered, and Remus put a hand on him shoulder sympathetically.

"Prongs, it's alright to be whipped, we understand."

James crossed his arms across his chest sulkily. "Shove off." he huffed, but a small smile was on his lips.

"But really, James. It's probably not healthy to be stalking her on a daily basis." Sirius advised, raising his eyebrows like a scolding father.

James scowled. "I'm don't _stalk_ - "

"Mr. Potter, what a pleasure, and same to you Mr. Black." Slughorn beamed as he came up to their secluded table at the back.

"Yeah, same to you." James replied skeptically, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the Professors complete disregard of Remus.

Sirius smiled dryly. "Real pleasure." he said sarcastically.

"Yes, well, I'd like to extend an invitation to the Slug Club to you two, and I hope dearly that you will attend."

The two shared a bored glance.

"We politely decline, Professor." Sirius answered flatly.

"So sorry." James added, smiling tightly.

"Well, that's quite alright, my dear boys. Maybe next time." he said and went back up the aisle before either of them could decline once again.

"What a git." Sirius scoffed.

"You know, I think he really likes me," Remus noted, on the verge of laughter, "Did the see the way he kept fawning over me? It's completely mental."

They all three laughed at this and Lily, Dorcas and Emmeline glanced back at them irritably. For some reason, this sent them laughing into another round of laughter, and Slughorn looked over at them curiously.

"May I ask what is so amusing, my dear boys?" he asked contentedly, resting his hands on his large belly.

Sirius was the first to contain himself and studied Slughorn. "You know - it's just . . . did you get a haircut, Professor? Because it looks absolutely marvelous."

Slughorn gently touched his thin, graying hair that was certainly not 'marvelous' and a small, delighted smile lightened his face.

"Why, yes, indeed I did, Mr. Black. A perceptive one, you are." Slughorn chortled happily, winking.

Sirius turned to the other two and they broke into another round of laughter, again, for no apparent reason - just because they were teenage boys.

_**December 18, 1979**_

"I think you're seriously getting obsessed, Prongs." Remus said, only half-joking.

"What?" he asked defensively, "It's a brilliant plan! Besides, I was invited, wasn't I?"

"This is getting a little desperate, mate," Sirius agreed, laughing quietly, "_The Slug Club_. First of all, it's for prissy, pampered, suck-up students - with the exception of Lily," he added so James wouldn't have a fit, "second, my _brother_ is going to be there, and third it's called _the Slub Club_! Why would you want to go to anything with such a bloody awful name?"

"That is _all_ beside the point," James insisted, "Lily's going to be there. I can't believe I hadn't thought of this before. I'm going, whether you think I'm crazy or not."

_**December 19, 1979**_

Lily didn't take pride or joy in going to the Slub Club, but, for some reason, she went anyway. It did sicken her, the reason they were all actually there. Money, fame, family, wits. Lily apparently fell into the latter.

The professor told her to dress up the day before, so she put on a nice blue dress and left her hair down, which was unusual for her to do. As she made her down to the room where the 'parties' were held, someone appeared next to her. She glanced over, then did a double-take.

"James, _what_ are you doing?" she asked.

He grinned. "Goin' to a old, batty professors rockin' party - you?"

She ignored him and pointed out, "I thought you hated the Slub Club."

"Er - yes, well, people change." he said, but she smirked, shaking her head.

"Do you even know why you're invited?"

He frowned. "No, why was I - "

The door opened when they reached it and revealed much more people than Lily was comfortable with milling around, eating, drinking and chatting - making connections.

"Ah! James, m'boy! You came!" Slughorn exclaimed, clamping him on the back as he entered, "Oh and Lily, lovely to see you as always, what a nice dress."

"Thank you, Professor." she murmured, watching James curiously.

James scanned the room and she noticed him grimace when his eyes fell on Regulus, who was talking quietly with another Slytherin. A Ravenclaw with a tray offered them a butterbeer, which they accepted.

"James, Lily, come, come, guess who I've got here?" Slughorn asked excitedly, "The famous Auror, Gregory Hanschen!"

Gregory smiled at them tightly. He looked nice enough, with speculative brown eyes and slicked back brown hair.

"Hi there," he murmured, then did a double-take on James, "Oh, I know you. Well, your parents rather - high Ministry officials."

"Yes, they are," Slughorn beamed, winking at James, "They're also very rich."

James choked on his drink and Lily looked at the professor with wide eyes. He'd never been so straight-forward before.

"Oh, er, that's - interesting." the Auror murmured, obviously uncomfortable.

"Oh, look, I see someone over there. Nice talking to you - c'mon, Lily," James muttered hurriedly, dragging Lily over to the food table with him. "What was _that_?"

"That's why you were invited, James. Your family - and your wealth."

Which Lily hadn't known about. James didn't go boasting about it, she guessed.

James grimaced. "That's just - wrong."

"Tell me about it. I'm not nearly as interesting, though - I'm here because I'm smart." she said, shrugging.

He snorted, leaning against the table and sipping his drink. "That's loads more interesting than family connections - you've actually earned your way into this horrendous thing."

"And that could be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it." she murmured, lenaing against the table beside him.

"Right - persepctive." he muttered, sipping his drink again.

"Well, well, if it isn't James Potter. How's my brother doing? Still feeling good about betraying his family?" Regulus Black appeared, smirking.

James rolled his eyes easily, sighing. "Bugger off, you insufferable arse."

Lily almost choked on her drink this time, not knowing whether to laugh or scold him, but she recovered quickly. Regulus' gaze fell on her with a sneer.

"Oh, and look what trash you've accompanied yourself with. How much lower could you sink - "

"Watch what you say, Regulus." James said, dangerously low.

"Than to associate with a _mudblood._"

And James' fist connnected with Regulus' jaw, making him stumble back and fall to the ground. Lily watch with wide eyes, along with everyone else, not sure what to do as James stormed out of the room and Regulus shook his head, trying to regain his wits. Before James could get to the door, Regulus growled and whipped out his wand, but before he could do anything, Lily had her wand pointed at him.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" she yelled and then hurried out the door to find James.

She ran out into the corridor and looked over just in time to see him turn the corner.

"James! James, wait!" she called, catching up to him He turned sharply, his expression murderous, and she studied him worriedly. "Are you alright?"

He took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut. "Yeah. No. I hurt my hand." he complained, shaking it out lightly.

She chuckled and took it in hers without thinking. "_Episky._" she murmured and the tiny red spots on his knuckles disappeared.

He sighed as she dropped his hand. "Thanks. Sorry for crashing the party."

She laughed and they started walking. "I should be thanking you, James, for crashing the party. And, not to mention, for standing up to me," she murmured, and hesitated, then continued, "It was sweet."

James tried not to look too delighted. "Don't mention it." he murmured.

He put his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet. He tried to keep contain his smile into a small one, but he felt like he could keep up the same brilliant grin all the way to the common room.

And, little did he know, Lily couldn't help but keep glancing over at him. His bashful side was very appealing, really. And, as she saw him trying to hide his lips twitching into a grin, she broke into her own smile, finally feeling like she could actually give James a chance.


	34. Donald

_A/N: I cannot believe I just wrote a chapter about . . . what this chapter is about. And it's a long chapter! Oh, goodness. I'm just warning you, this chapter is just . . . so weird. Haha. The idea just randomly came to me, and I don't understand why._

_Now you know the inner workings of my brain. Hahaha._

**Donald**

_**Sepetmber 5, 1979**_

Lily and James stopped in front of it, contemplating. Lily quirked her lips and cocked her head to the side while James circled it to get a better look. They finally met each others gaze and Lily shrugged.

"Well, what do you think? We came here for you." she asked, eyeing the thing.

He put two thoughtful fingers to his lips, studying it intently. Then, finally, "I like it."

She put her hands on her hips, looking at it as well. "Yeah. I like it, too," she decided, surprised, "But . . . where will we put it?"

He half-shrugged, then joked, "How about the kitchen?"

She knew he was expecting her to shoot it down, but she frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose that would work."

He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

. . . .

"So, are you going to carry it?"

She punched his arm. "James Potter! Is chivalry dead?"

"I'm kidding, woman," he laughed, then sized it up, grimacing. "Can't I just use a little magic? No one's looking."

"We still have to pay for it."

"Yeah, well, let's get the good chap to come out here and scan it or whatever these Muggles do."

"Okay, I'll go get him. Don't try anything, James, I mean it." she warned, giving him a look.

He winked and then leaned against their soon-to-be purchase casually.

"You're going to knock it over!" Lily exclaimed, backing away from him.

"Relax, Negative Nancy. I'm fast as a cat."

"You're just annoying. And never call me that again."

"I love you, Lily." he called after her.

She sighed, rolling her eyes and he flashed her a smile. She couldn't help but smile back and then turned towards the building. She walked through the maze of statues to the actual indoor shop. James had insisted on visiting it for a number of reasons. Whenever they went anywhere by car, they would always have to pass the stature store, where loads of them were just sitting there. James figured the little old man who owned it never got any business, since no one was ever there and he also wanted to visit an unusual Muggle store, and so that morning, he'd insisted they go.

Hundreds of statues either towered over her or she towered over them, and a good chunk of them freaked her out, and she hurried faster throughout them.

However, the one that they had found was a cute, not frightening whatsoever, little animal. . . . An otter. Lily didn't really know why they had been drawn to it - probably because it just looked so innocent, standing on its hind legs and looking up at them with wide eyes. It was adorable, really, and not creepy in any way - that was always good.

Now that she thought about it, it was a really odd thing to want in your kitchen. But perhaps it was exactly what they needed.

She sighed and pushed open the old wooden door, peering in to find the elderly man there, behind the counter. He was clad in green plaid overalls and a green shirt and his soft, thin white hair sat in a little patch on top of his head. He also had the biggest glasses she'd ever seen perched on his nose. He sat on a stool, his hands on his knees, as he tapped his feet to the old Irish tune floating out from the radio. He hummed along happily with a giddy little smile on his face, seeming lost in thought.

"Excuse me, sir?" Lily said, suddenly feeling like she was five years old.

He looked at her and smiled warmly. "Why, hello there, m'lady. Can I help you with anything?" he said, a thick Irish accent lacing his meek little voice.

She smiled. "Yes, well, my husband and I found something we'd like to buy - "

"Ah, say no more. Just take me out to what you'd like to purchase and I'll write down the number, m'lady." he said contentedly, standing with a little difficulty from his stool. Lily wanted to ask if he needed help, but didn't want to accidently offend him. Not that it looked like anyone could do such a thing to such a jolly man.

He walked beside her out the store with a small smile gracing his lips, and he still hummed the little tune from the radio.

"My name is Donald, by the way. Donald Goodman." he said as they walked back outside.

"I'm Lily Potter." she replied, smiling his way.

"Ah. I've heard about you, Lily Potter." he chortled.

She looked at him in suriprise. "Oh?"

"Yes, Minerva has told me about you and that James Potter," he chuckled, "She and I have been friends for as long as I can remember, even though I'm a squib."

Lily was shocked. "Oh. Well, I - "

That was when they reached James, and he stepped forward, shaking Donald's hand.

"Hello, sir," James said, smiling. "We have found what we'd like to purchase."

He gestured grandly to the statue of the otter.

"The otter?" Donald asked.

"The otter." James confirmed, a giddy smile on his face.

"Alright, then." Donald said in his cute elderly voice, taking out a notepad and pen. Then, he paused. "Although - actually, you two kids take this one on me."

"Oh, no, we couldn't - " Lily immediately started to protest.

Donald put a hand on her shoulder, his eyes suddenly glistening with tears. "You two are what's left of the few good ones. Don't think the rest of us take what the Order does for granted - squib or not . . . we're grateful." he murmured, low enough so only she could hear.

Lily opened her mouth to speak, her own eyes watering, but found nothing came to her mind, except, "Thank you."

He nodded, patting her shoulder, before turning to James. "You, too, sonny. Thank you."

"Erm. . . . Thank you." James said, looking completely confused.

Donald nodded and sighed, giving Lily one last smile before shuffling back though the plethera of statues.

"What the - "

"It's nothing." Lily cut him off softly, wiping a few tears from her cheeks.

"Are you - what's wrong?" James asked suddenly, walking forward to her and grabbing her shoulders.

She opened her mouth to say something, but chuckled instead. "Just get the bloody otter," she laughed, "It's getting dark."

"You're explaining on the way home." he warned, smiling back at her.

She nodded. "Deal."

_**September 6, 1979**_

The next morning, Lily and James ate their Frosted Flakes in nearly perfect synchronization, staring at the otter which now stood in the corner of their kitchen, staring with huge, innocent eyes at the occupants of the table.

"How about Garfield?" James threw out thoughtfully.

"No, that's a cat's name." Lily protested.

He frowned. "Why would that be a cat's name?"

She sighed. "No reason, James."

They both took another bite of cereal.

"Maria?"

"The otter is a boy, Lily."

"Who says?"

"I do!"

"Well, what if it's a girl?"

"It's not."

"Fine."

Another bite.

"How about - "

"Donald!" Lily exclaimed suddenly, "It's name is Donald."

James paused. "Well - "

"It's name is Donald, James Christopher." Lily stated, shooting him a look.

He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "I like it."

Lily nodded, looking back to their new companion.

"Donald, the otter." she mused, mimicking her husband and leaning back in her chair.

"Donald, the otter." James murmured back with a small smile.

They suddenly heard the front door open, and both were immediately on their guard, standing up like lightning and whipping out their wands. Then, Sirius emerged in the living room, a lazy grin on his face, like always. They both let out a relieved breath and pocketed their wands.

"Relax, you two. You're even worse than Dorcas," he chuckled, sidling into their kitchen, "So what's . . . " Sirius caught sight of Donald, a curiously indifferent expression on his face. "Are you aware that there is a statue of an otter in the corner of your kitchen?"

"Yeah," Lily said, realizing again how completely bizzare that was, "We bought him last night."

He nodded slowly. "I like him. . . . It - completes the room." he decided.

"His name is Donald." James noted.

Lily couldn't believe how odd of a conversation it was.

"Smashing. Donald, the otter."

Very odd.

"Donald, the otter."

Very, very odd.

"Donald, the otter."

So very, very odd.

But, she figured that worked - they were an odd group of friends.


	35. What You Want To Hear

_A/N: Writing about Remus is growing on me... :) And I tried to give him a happier mood in the beginning and end in this chapter, because, yes, Remus doesn't seem to be happy a lot of the time, and I wanted him to be happy, god dammit! So, yeah, I know it kinda sucks because him and Emmeline don't even end up together, but he still has Tonks in the future! Don't you forget that! :)_

_ Happy reading!_

**What You Want To Hear**

"_Tell me what you want to hear - something that'll like those ears - sick of all the insincere, so I'm gonna give all my secrets away - this time, don't need another perfect line - don't care if critics never jump in line, I'm gonna give all my secrets away. . . ._"

_**April 22, 1977**_

Remus sat beneath one of the many oak trees on the grounds of Hogwarts, taking in the scenery before him. The sun was just beginning to set and the way it hit the lake and everything around him made him feel detached from the real world of social crisis' and N.E.W.T.'s.

Remus had escaped there in the first place to think. Since his brain had been distracting him lately with the need to do so - which wasn't abnormal - he finally allowed his mind to wander wherever it please.

And, of course, now that he got the chance he didn't really know what to think about. He supposed Emmeline would be an understandable thing to think about, especially since he was contemplating on telling her the truth about him. They'd been getting serious, and, even though it scared Remus greatly, he knew he had to open up to people. He had to learn to give himself a break.

He understood that now.

He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees. He wondered if Emmeline would understand? He knew she could be somewhat of an airhead at times, but she was more clever and brave than people cared to notice. Especially with how she'd been determined the past couple weeks to figure out what was going on with Remus and the other Marauders. She hadn't gotten anywhere so far - she'd actually just gotten a detention the previous week with James and Lily. The thought made him chuckle again from the way James explained what happened.

He shook his head with a smile on his face. He felt happy. And that was an emotion he didn't want to let go of; he wasn't ready to - he just needed to complete that happiness with the assurance that his girlfriend could fully accept him. Who knows? Maybe her and Remus would get married someday - have baby Lupins running around.

That thought also made him smile. Yes, he was ready to get this confession to Emmeline over with. He was ready to be happy like this forever, and the sooner -

"Remus Lupin!"

The yell broke him harshly out of his reverie, and he turned hastily just in time to see Emmeline stride to a stop in front of him and throw down a concoction of books and papers right in front of him. He looked in confusion from what she'd thrown in front of him to her tear-stained face. Her jaw was locked, her sandy blonde waves were a mess and her blue eyes were hard - in other words, Emmeline Vance was not happy. And that meant Remus wasn't happy.

Remus furrowed his brow and looked back to the books and papers, placing a hand on them to spread them out. _Werewolves: What You Need To Know To Stay Safe_, _Werewolves and their Cycles_, _The Habitual Tendencies of the Werewolf Species_, _Werewolves and More_.

He didn't look on. The message was clear.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out?" she whispered hoarsely, holding back tears.

"Emma - "

"I can't believe you! We've been dating for almost three years now, and you haven't told me yet?" she continued, her voice breaking.

It killed him to see her like this. And it killed him to think it was all his fault.

"Emma, just listen to what I have to say," he pleaded, getting to his feet. "I - "

"No, Remus, I don't think I want to hear what you have to say," she said, backing away from him, "What you haven't said is quite enough."

"Emma!" he exclaimed after her.

He wasn't going to let her get away. He was going to actually fight for what he wanted, for once in his life. He ran after her and grabbed her hand, turning her around.

"I was going to tell you, Emma! That's what I was thinking about over there!"

"And what was there to think about, Remus?" she asked desperately, tears still falling from her eyes. "You thought I'd run away in fear? That I wouldn't udnerstand?"

"That's exactly what I thought!" he yelled.

She hesitated, then murmured brokenly. "You don't trust me."

"I'm just scared." he whispered.

"Well, I am, too."

There was a silence as he searched her eyes and felt a desperate need to find reassurance - to have some stability.

"Well then, tell me what you want to hear, Emma. Because obviously I'm not doing a very good job at convincing you that I care for you and that I _do_ trust you - but you can't expect to just tell you what I am without thinking about it -

"For _three years_, Remus? I'm your girlfriend, I - "

"Just because you're my girlfriend doesn't mean you can handle something like this - "

"Who are _you_ to make that decision?"

"Someone who cares!" he exclaimed, and she finally fell into a stubborn silence. Then he continued, quieter, "I'm someone who loves you. And I don't want to lose you because of _this_."

She paused, seeming to not know what to say. Then she gave him a - finally - reassuring smile and put a hand on his cheek, promising, "You're not going to lose me, Remus."

She pulled him into her arms and he closed his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too." she whispered.

Perhaps Remus would be happy. Perhaps Emmeline would someday be his wife, and they would grow old together. Perhaps he really would get the chance to be happy.

For the first time in a long time, Remus was starting to think it was possible.


	36. Quidditch, Among Other Things

_A/N: Hopefully, you can relate this back to, like, Chapter 2, I believe. :) (Wow, it's already been thirty-six chapters! :0) This happens the day after - it's in context, but I'm just making sure you remember . . . if you don't, I suppose you don't have to nessecarily read it again - it pretty much states what went on, although vaguely and in the words of a distressed teenage girl. :/ Uh-oh...Haha._

_ Happy reading!_

**Quidditch, Among Other Things**

_**December 14, 1976**_

Lily, Dorcas, Emmeline and two of the four Marauders - James and Sirius were absent, as they were on the Quidditch team - made their way down to the Quidditch pitch on a snowy December morning, anticipating the well-awaited match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Emma and Remus held hands, murmuring to each other and Peter, Dorcas and Lily started up their own conversation about who they thought would win.

"Well, of course I'd like Gryffindor to win, but that Slytherin team has really got some good players this year." Dorcas said, somewhat definatly.

Peter and Lily shared an amused glance. Lily hadn't really gotten to know Peter that well during her six years of Hogwarts, simply because she thought he was rather awkward and nervous all the time - but she found he could be alright sometimes this year. (Especially when James and Sirius weren't around for him to shadow.)

"I think you're just saying that because you're put off with Sirius." Lily said knowingly, smiling at her friends reaction.

She scowled and huffed, "I am not! He's just - well, he - I - we kissed last night, Lily! At Hogsmeade!" she admitted hysterically.

Lily raised her eyebrows and her eyes widened. "I thought you were on a date with that bloke David Waters!"

"I - I was," she said desperately, "But then it went horribly, because Sirius was there, too, and then we both left our dates, and then he met me outside, and then - and then he kissed me, and then I ran away, and then we had a row this morning, because he wanted me to date him but I wasn't ready and - "

"Merlin, Doras, slow down! What in the _world_ are you on about?" Lily exclaimed as they made their way onto the stands. Peter still walked on the other side of Dorcas, listening in quiet surprise.

"What's going on?" Remus asked, hearing Lily's exclamation.

"Nothing." Dorcas grumbled as they sat down. She put her chin in her hands huffily and Lily bit back laughter at how childish she was acting.

"Dorcas, I'm sure you two will make up in no time. That's what always happens with you two." Lily assured her.

"And then they'll have another row." Emma muttered, and Dorcas shot her a look.

"Sounds like another little couple we know." Remus added, holding back a boat of laughter as Lily was the one who shot the look this time.

Remus snickered along with Emmeline, noting, "We're not very popular today, are we?"

Lily scowled. "James and I are _not_ - "

That's when the two Quidditch teams came out of the dressing rooms and entered the pitch. The stands erupted in cheers and whistles. Jimmy Winchester, a flambouyant thrid-year, was named commentator for the game, and his high little voice strung out through the picth.

"Hello? Is this on? Professor, I don't think it's working - "

"For Heavens sake, Winchester, everyone can hear you!" everyone heard Professor McGonagall exclaim exasperately. Laughter glided through the stands.

"Oh. Oh, right. Well, hello there, my fellow peers! I . . ."

Lily tuned the third-years squeaking out and looked toward the field. James and the Slytherin captain, Zachary Farlow, shook hands, James sporting a fake cheery smile. Madam Hooch reminded them to keep a clean game, and, after a mocking wink from James to Zachary - who sneered, not amused at all - they flew off.

However, something happened just seconds after the game started and the stands clapped. Sirius, who was Beater, called for a timeout, and James looked at him like he was completely mental.

Lily could read James' lips as he shouted, "Have you lost it, mate?"

"Oh, this is not going to be good. . . " Remus trailed off with an incredulous smile, shaking his head. His fellow Marauder made his way to the Gryffindor section of the stands, his eyes fixed on Dorcas Meadowes.

There were some angry yells, some surprised giggles, and some wolf-whistles - most of which came from the boys on the team - as Sirius hovered over to Dorcas on his broom, a rather guilty, but determined expression on his face. Lily covered her mouth to keep from right out laughing at Dorcas' expression, and her other firends were in no better shape. She looked completely lost for words, just staring at him with a mixture of amazement, rage and embaressment.

"Dorcas - " he started, but that was when she came to her senses.

"What in the name of Godric Gryffindor are you doing, Sirius?" she hissed, standing.

"I can't play without knowing you'll go out with me." he explained, not fazed by her anger at all.

"Oh, my god. . . ." Lily heard Emmeline mutter with a giggle.

"Well, that's a lost cause, Sirius. I told you where I stand - "

"Dorcas, you know you don't mean that," he said, hovering closer to her. Lily felt the urge to look away from the intimate moment, but found she couldn't. "And if you really, truely do - tell me now. Because this is the last time I'm willing to ask you."

Dorcas stared.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

There was a collective round of 'aww's' that came from the Gryffindor girls nearby, and some rather rude shouts from the boys.

But, to Sirius and Dorcas, it seemed as if only the other existed. Lily glanced back at the others, and they were all looking on with anticipation - they all knew how Dorcas felt. But they also knew that she was not one to speak her feelings, and also stubbornly resisted them - especially under this kind of pressure.

"Sirius, I - " she started, then deflated, "I can't."

Lily pressed her lips together. She had seen it coming.

"C'mon, Dorcas," he begged quietly, "Don't do this."

Dorcas just swallowed and sat back down, looking down at her intertwined hands. Lily let out a breath, shaking her head slightly, but she knew she should stay out of it. She expected Sirius to get back to the game, and just suck it up - stay depressed and deal with it later.

But that is not what happened.

"Alright, then, Meadowes," Sirius said, and Dorcas looked up at him in surprise. He had a new glint in his eye - the kind the Marauders got when they were up to no good. Lily's eyes went wide and she knew this was going to lead to either a clever victory or a massive failure. The whole student body occupying the stands went quiet except for murmurings here and there. Not even the teachers, not even Madam Hooch, said anything. "I see how you're going to play this. Going to deny your feelings and all that tragic love shit - okay. I understand. But know this - " he murmured, leaning dangerously close to her. "I'm still a Black - Black's get what they want. And you, Dorcas Meadowes, are what I want."

Dorcas sat there, stunned for a moment, before she broke out of her reverie, and stood angrily. She put her hands on her hips and contorted her face into a scowl - the normal expression Dorcas wore when Sirius was around. He grinned back at her, shaking his head.

"Sirius, I'm aware of this," she snapped, "You've told me many times, alright? And my answer has been, and will always be - "

"What if I told you," he talked over her, smirking, "That if you refuse to go on a date with me, I will walk away from this game right now, and Slytherin automatically wins the House Cup?"

Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs roared unhappily, and Sirius winked at an enraged-looking Dorcas. Lily imagined Sirius should be much more afraid of this Dorcas - the angry, desperate, emotional Dorcas. But it seemed he wasn't fazed whatsoever.

"You can't expect me to - "

"Oh, yes, I can."

The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs continued to holler shamelssly, most along the lines of, "Go on, say yes then!", "C'mon, Meadowes, go out with the bloke!", or "Oh, _please_, Dorcas, he's _hot_! Don;t act like you don't want to!".

Lily and the others stared wide eyed at the scene, and she had a sinking feeling that Dorcas would still hold. She knew Dorcas well enough to know that no one, not matter what, would sway her judgement. She would do what she wanted in the end. Dorcas opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it, then closed it, then -

"Alright!" she yelled, "Alright. But don't think this changes _anything_, I - "

Sirius cut her off with a kiss full on the mouth, and her eyes sprung open wide in shock. However, Lily could see that she was forcing herself not to smile. The whole student body erupted in cheers and wolf-whistles and Sirius pulled away, backing up on his broom towards the field with a huge grin on his face, still watching her. Dorcas sighed and sat back down, fighting a smile. Her friends stared at her openly.

She glanced at them, then did a double take.

"What?"


	37. The Day the Head Girl Said 'Yes'

** The Day the Head Girl Said 'Yes'**

_**Septemeber 21, 1977**_

Lily Evans was an idiot. She hurried through the corridors back up to the Heads common room, where she'd left her Advanced Potions textbook that morning. She flew up the steps, and at the top, thanks to her eyes being glued to her feet, she rammed into someone. They both fell on the ground and she groaned. She stayed on her back, not really finding the desire to move - and she didn't really know if she could, either way.

"Oh, shit, I'm - oh, why, hello there, Evans," the mystery person said. Lily knew that voice. Sirius Black's head popped up above her, obscuring her lovely view of the cieling. "Quite alright down there?"

He offered and hand but she shook her head grouchily, struggling to a stand.

"Fine," she grumbled, brishing off her robes. "but I can't say the same for my backside, thank you very much."

Sirius snorted and glanced behind him. "Oi! James! Where've you disappeared off to? Your soul mate's over here, talkin' about her arse!"

James' head popped out from around the corner, and, upon seeing Lily, stepped out fully, grinning.

"Well, well. Skipping class, are we, Evans? I thought _higher _of you - and you're _Head Girl_, none the less! Oh, dear, this _is_ a scandal." he chided mockingly, coming up beside Sirius.

"_Actually_, I was just off to retrieve my Potions textbook when your other half rammed into me," she corrected, putting her hands on her hips. "And _you're_ Head Boy, Potter. You're definately not supposed to be skipping class!"

James and Sirius exchanged an amused look.

"Right then. Well, that's rubbish if you think I'm going to spare my mischief-making duties for the sake of being forced into being bloody Head Boy," he scoffed, then studied her, amused. "But since you're already out, how about you spend the rest of the period with us, eh? Not scraed of a little trouble, right, Evans?"

She scowled. "Don't _you _have Potions as well?"

"Ah, fancy that," Sirius said airily, leaning against the railing and frowning in mock-thoughtfullness. "Slipped my mind completely!"

James smirked. "Skipping class is a prestigous act in which you must be very courageous - "

" Or stupid." Lily interjected.

"To do," he continued, ignoring her with a grin. "Besides, who can stand Slughorn's excessive obnoxiousness the _whole week_?"

Lily was about to say something like 'that's how I feel about you', but then thought better of it. Him and Lily were just starting to get over their constant bickering, and Lily was secretly relieved - it was certainly a piece of work to be so consistently awful to someone. It used to be easy, when James really was an arrogant arse, but . . . he'd changed, and Lily knew it was because he'd lost his mother at the end of last year. That's when things had started to truely change between her and James - the day the news came, and the day Lily Evans had actually said something kind to him. Not only that, but she held him in her arms for a long while. Not that James had his mind on romance whatsoever then - but it still meant a lot that even Lily, who was declared to be someone who hated him to no end, was there for him - she knew that.

She didn't realize how long she'd been lost in thought and refocused in on James' hand waving in front of her face.

"Hellooo? Still with us, Evans?"

Lily cleared her throat, nodding. "Yes - well - I was just going to go get my book, I forgot it. But I'm going back after."

James and Sirius both snickered and James joked, "Scared of missing another pointless period of Potions? Or perhaps you have a little crush on Slughorn?"

"Ew, _Potter_, gross!" she exclaimed, grimacing.

The two boys laughed and Sirius clamped James on the back.

"Actually, I have someone in that class which I've been itching to ask to Hogsmeade this weekend - I should probably get going. See you two later," he said, skipping down the stairs. He paused, then turned back around, smirking. "By the way, the broom closet on the fifth floor's a good place for snogging, if I say so myself - "

"Oh, shut it!" LIly cut him off, but couldn't help a smile creeping onto her face.

He winked at them, and then sauntered off down the corridor and out of sight.

"So, how 'bout it, Evans? A day with the most famous prankster in school?" he asked, bowing with a grin.

"Oh, I wonder what the other little trouble-makers would say about that." she said, chuckling.

He shrugged and offered his arm. "Well?"

"Well, it's just that I haven't - I mean, I've never. . . ." she trailed off, uncomfortable.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "You're not meaning to say you've _never_ skipped class before?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, so what if I haven't? That's certainly _nothing_ to be ashamed of." she huffed defiantly.

He let out a disbelieving laugh, and then nodded. "Then it's settled. You've got to skip the whole day to make up for it." he decided.

She gaped at him. "No way! I can't - "

"I'll hold you captive if I have to." he warned, winking, and she frowned.

"There's nothing to do." she pointed out after a pause.

He flashed her a mischievious smile. "Don't be so sure. Follow me."

"So this thing shows where everyone is at Hogwarts - all the time?" she inquired as they hurried under James' invisibility cloak, which had come as another surprise to Lily. They were headed up the the third-floor corridor, and James wouldn't give away where they were going.

He nodded, grinning proudly. "Yeah. We use it when - " he cut off immediately, then continued smoothly, "When we go out after hours."

Lily didn't miss his stumble and shot him a curious glance. "What do you do after hours, anyway?"

"I think I'll keep that one from you," he smirked, "I like to live mysteriously."

Lily snorted. "Right. So, care to tell me where we're going now?"

"That would ruin it! Oh - Dumbledore's coming this way. . . . Bloody hell." James muttered, and hurried up one of the marble staircases before they could bump into their headmaster.

"We're invisible, James." she pointed out as they walked along the third-floor corridor underneath the cloak.

"Yeah, but I have a feeling that man is all-knowing," he said, over-exaggerating, "I doubt he doesn't know what we're up to right now, actually."

Lily frowned. "That's impossible."

"Not _impossible_," James muttered, glancing down at the Marauder's Map. "Good, no one's around. Alright, we're here."

They came up to a statue of a one-eyed witch and Lily looked at him like he was crazy.

"James, I've seen this creepy statue plenty of times," she scoffed as he took the cloak off them. "Is this really what you - "

"Honestly, Lily, you have to learn to be patient," James said exasperately, "It's what the statue leads to that's important."

Lily was suspecting one of his jokes, but he actually took out his wand and tapped the witch's hump, murmuring, "_Dissendium._"

The witch's hump opened to reveal a hole to which lead to what seemed like darkness. Lily looked at it, half-shocked and half-horrified.

"How many people know about this?" she gasped.

He grinned. "Only me, Sirius, Remus and Peter. Although, I wouldn't doubt Dumbledore knows. Anyway, ladies first?"

He waved to the opening and she shook her head hastily.

"No way!" she scoffed, "No _bloody _way!"

"Aw, c'mon, Evans!" he insisted, laughing at her horrified expression.

"Where does it lead anyway?" she asked, attempting to peek in, but she could make out was darkeness.

"That's a secret," he revealed in a mock-mysterious voice. "Look, it's just like a giant slide. I'll go first, if that makes you feel better."

Lily looked back at the hole nodded. "Well, go on then." she muttered.

James wiggled his eyebrows at her before he hoisted himself into the passageway easily, and pushed forward. He was enveloped in the darkness and Lily became more nervous.

"_Lumos_." she heard him mutter from somewhere below and saw a light at the end of the slope.

She took a deep breath and lifted herself in, yelping as she slid down the cold stone slide. She stumbled onto the damp ground, huffing as she did. James caught her with one arm, chuckling.

"See? That wasn't so bad."

She swallowed. "Right. Do I even want to know how long this thing goes on for?"

He chuckled. "Probably not. Let's go."

So off they went down the long, twisted passageway. Lily suppressed her questions as the minutes passed. Then, after about an agonizingly long hour, James hurried faster, grinning back at her.

"Almost there." he murmured.

Finally, they came to stone steps and they climbed relentlessly, Lily getting excited despite herself. Suddenly, James stopped and she halted right before she smashed into him. He pushed up on a trapdoor of some sort and pulled himself through. He bent down and helped Lily through. She took a deep breath and looked around.

"Where are we?" she breathed quietly, as there was no sound around.

He grinned again and lead her up the wooden staircase and through the door.

She laughed indredulously. " Of course. It's leads to Hogsmeade."

They were behind the counter at Honeydukes, Lily immediately recognized it. There were very few people there, none of them from Hogwarts, of course. He smirked at her shock, ducking under the counter, and Lily followed suit.

"I can't believe you know about this."

He shrugged. "We've been looking for passages like those all throughout ours Hogwarts years. It wasn't so hard."

She shook her head, smiling ruefully. "I'm very impressed."

He grinned. "Care for any sweets, m'lady?"

"How about some of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans?"

**James**

Operation Make Lily Evans Fall in Love with Him:

Phase One: Get past the constant bickering stage - complete.

Phase Two: The actual falling-in-love process - in progress.

James smiled as Lily talked passionately about the Order of the Pheonix and how badly she wanted to join after Hogwarts. They had resided to the Three Broomsticks for a couple hours after Honeydukes, munching on their candy and sipping their butterbeer.

"What are _you_ going to do after we graduate?" Lily asked after she got done telling him about the Order. Nothing he didn't already know, but he enjoyed hearing her talk.

He raised his eyebrows, playing with his bottle of butterbeer. "Well, joining the Order has definately always been at the top of my list. I mean, my dad is a high Ministry official who's against You-Know-Who but does nothing about it. He doesn't like the Order because he reckons they're just setting themselves up for a painful death. I beg to differ, though. I think they're doing loads of good. If no one in the Ministry is brave enough to do something about it, then I want to join the only group of people that's brave enough to try," he explained, then added, "It also helps that it would make my dad extremely unhappy."

She studied him. "Not fond of your father then?"

James grimaced slightly. "Not especially."

"Well, I have a pretty dysfunctional family, too, I must say. My sister hates my guts and has a ruddy horrible boyfriend named _Vernon_ - what an awful name!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. Then sighed, continuing wearily, "Anyway, my parents dote over me for being a witch, and it just gets old. We've been getting in a lot of fights. That's why I'm not planning on going home for Christmas."

"Yeah, I'm staying, too. My dad'll probably complain - he's taking every chance he can get to attempt to sway my political opinions." He shrugged and looked out the window to see it was about mid-day. Classes should be about over now.

Lily seemed to notice this, too, because she looked at him expectantly. "Ready to go?"

No, he wasn't ready to go, but he would feel foolish asking her to stay, so he nodded. As they stood, he waved to Madame Rosmerta and she called her goodbyes. Lily looked at him curiously.

"Won't she tell - ?"

"No, no, I've done this many times. They've have gotten used to it," James explained with a chuckle, opeing the door for her. "Or maybe Madame Rosmerta jusr fancies me." he added cheekily.

Lily laughed incredulously as they stepped into the bitter October weather. "Probably - you can be very charming," she chuckled, not even thinking. Then, she stopped abruptly and James stopped, a small, appalled smile on his face.

"What was that, Evans?"

She cleared her throat and ducked her head, walking on. "Nothing, nothing," she muttered, then quickly continued, "You know, I knew you snuck out sometimes, but this is a lot more serious than I thought."

James shrugged, smiling. "Oh, please. We've done worse."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" she prodded with a challenging glance.

He smirked. "I told you, Evans, I'm just a never-ending mystery. I like it that way." he joked.

She sighed and shook her head with a slight smile. "Well, Potter, I'll give you this one: you definately are."

**Lily**

After her and James got back from Hogsmeade, they were met with free period for the rest of the day. They crept along the third floor corridor and down to the grounds, and Lily only exhaled when they made it outside. James chuckled at her.

"See? That wasn't so bad. How was it, breaking the rules for the first time?"

Lily sighed and smiled. "Actually, it felt really good."

"Well, it looks like I've been a bad influence." he murmured, winking at her.

She snorted. "And I thank you for it. It would've been downright embaressing if I left here with a clean record."

James laughed loudly. "I really think I've turned you into a rebel! This is just too good - "

"Oi! James!"

They both turned and found Sirius, Remus and Peter waving to him with grins, Sirius amking obscene gestures with his hands. James sighed and waved back.

"Well, I guess that's my cue." he muttered.

"Thanks for today, James. It was really fun." Lily said, smiling.

"My pleasure, m'lady. And we actually got along the whole time." he pointed out with raised eyebrows.

She laughed and pushed him towards his friends. "I'll see you in the common room, Potter."

"See you later, Evans."


	38. Sectumsempra

**Sectumsempra**

**James**

_**January 22, 1977**_

James Potter sighed and sidled along the empty corridors. He wasn't looking forward to next few hours of nothing whatsoever. Patrolling had to be the worst part of being Head _bloody _Boy. He pulled the invisibility cloak out of his pocket and put it around himself - he found rounds were a bit more entertaining when invisible, especially if Peeves showed up.

A half hour later, he encountered Mrs. Norris and James glared at the evil cat who'd gotten him into trouble many times. He was tempted to curse it or at least give it a little kick - deserved as much, he reasoned - but was distracted when he heard voices down the corridor. Mrs. Norris paused and then sprang down the hall, probably to fetch Filch. James curiously made his way toward the voices.

"Okay, so it's settled then. It's official now, you realize?"

"Of course, I'm not stupid, Avery. Now, hurry and get to the common room before Filch catches us."

"Don't worry so much, Snape. That old man should've retired years ago. We can take him."

Avery and Snape.

"Just go, Avery. I've got to get to the dorms."

"Yeah, whatever."

_Fantastic,_ James thought sarcastically. Then, when he was sure they wouldn't see, he took off the cloak and put it in his pocket. He approached the pair, but found Avery had already disappeared around the corner. Snape was still there, staring calculatingly after him.

"Out so late, Snivellus." James scolded lightly, and Snape whirled around, glaring.

"Potter," he spat, "Spying?"

"Not exactly. I was doing rounds when I overheard you two. How does double detention sound to you?"

"Oh, please. Like you have any right to give out detention!"

James sighed impatiently. "I'm Head Boy, Snape." he said slowly.

Snape paused and studied him. "You and Lily friends now?"

He was taken aback and finally replied, " Er, I guess."

Suddenly, Snape had his wand in his hand and it was pointed straight at James. James didn't hesitate in taking out his in turn, just as fast.

"You told her about Avery and Mulciber."

"I didn't tell her anything, she found out herself." he answered, grimacing at the Slytherin.

He raised his wand. "Lies, Potter!"

Before James could say anything, Snape sharply wove his wand, exclaiming, "_Sectumsempra_!"

Right before the spell hit him, he yelled back, "_Petrificus Totalus_!"

James collapsed to ground as he felt searing pain across his chest. He put his hand to it and felt warm liquid, lifting it to see blood. He groggily watched as Snape's arms snapped to his side and fell backwards, rigid. James heard footsteps running toward him from behind and saw Filch limping toward them.

Filch studied the scene with wide, excited eyes. "Well, well, James Potter in trouble once again. What a surprise."

"He attacked me!" James yelled hoarsely, clutching his chest.

"I'm sure he did, boy," he muttered, "Detention."

"_He_ attacked _me_!"

"Then detention for the both of you!" he yelled, his crazed eyes focusing on him.

"What don't you understand?" James forced out, his hands beginning to shake, "He attacked me and I body-binded him out of self defense!"

Filch stared for a moment, grumbling, "Well, I'll just get Professor McGonagall then."

Filch ran off, and, a couple minutes later, he came scurrying back with McGonagall on his heels. She did not look happy. James felt his wounds again and winced. He looked at the ground he was laying on and saw it was soaked with his blood. He could barely stay conscious, and the idea of closing his eyes and sleeping forever was sounding more and more like a cracking idea.

"What is this all about?" she asked hastily, bending down to look at James' wounds. Their voices became more faint as James began to hear only his heartbeat and his heavy, slow breathing. Everything started to go in and out of focus.

"Said he defended himself, Professor, with a body-binding charm. Said the Snape boy tried to attack him." Filch's voice sounded miles away. . . .

"Then what is the fuss about? For Merlin's sake, take Potter to the hospital wing. Snape - detention." was the last echo he heard before he fell into blackness.

Miles and miles away. . . .

James' eyes fluttered open to bright light. He was met with six faces staring down at him. Sirius, Remus, Peter, Lily, Emmeline and Dorcas. He blinked a few times and sat up a bit on the pillows. He realized Lily was grasping his hand and his first thought was how soft her hands were. . . .

"How're you feelin', mate? Up to gaining a head start on getting back at Snivelly?" Sirius finally spoke, stepping closer to his cot.

James grimaced as memories of the night before flooded back and groaned. "I'm going to fucking _kill _him."

Madame Pomfrey pushed her way through his friends and studied him. "Hm. I mended the wounds, but I'm afraid you lost a lot of blood. The wounds were very deep, and it took them a while to bring me to you, so there will be minor scarring on your chest, but other than that, you should be fine, Mr. Potter."

James' grimace deepened. "I'll be able to play Quidditch tomorrow?" he checked.

Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips and nodded. "Yes, yes," she muttered, "That's all you kids care about these days."

James shook his head, his mind drifting to Snape again. "I'm going to kill him." he repeated fiercely, moving to get off the bed.

"No, no - you won't be killing anyone. You will stay here until you've gotten some rest." Madame Pomfrey insisted, pushing him back down onto the bed firmly.

James was about to protest, but she held up a hand. "I will hear none of it, Mr. Potter. Now, get some rest. The rest of you - out."

They all started to argue, but she took out her wand and they all grudgingly left, waving dejectedly at James before he was left alone. However, Lily stayed behind and talked quietly with Madame Pomfrey. Finally, the nurse nodded reluctanlty and she let Lily come back to him.

James raised an eyebrow. "Miss me?"

She didn't even reply as she just grabbed his face and kissed him deeply. James was surprised and he couldn't help but smile into their kiss. When she leaned back, her hands still on his face, he smirked.

"I guess you did, then."

She sighed and grabbed his hand. "Be serious, James." she chastised, but she was fighting a smile.

"I'm completely serious." he said with a small smile, stretching his back and wincing.

"Are you alright?" she fretted.

He winked. "Never better." he groaned, settling back into the pillows. He didn't want Lily to have a heartattack, for Merlin's sake.

"It was really bad, wasn't it?" she asked meekly, studying his face.

James sighed. "I think you over estimate him."

"Trust me, I don't." she muttered, seeming lost in thought.

He eyed her warily. "Something you've got to say, Lily?"

She sighed. "No, nothing. Just - stay out of his way, James, alright?"

"Oh, Evans, you _do_ care!" he cried over dramatically, and she rolled her eyes again. He smiled and shook his head, saying, "You just worry too much. Snape is harmless."

Lily scowled and smacked the side of his head. "I worry just the right amount, _Potter_."

He grimaced, rubbing his head. "Ooh, pullin' out the last name card, eh?"

She ignored him. "Be careful out on the field, promise?"

James smirked. "Promise, Lily."  
She sighed, nodded in spproval and stood to leave, but then hesitated. She turned back and grabbed his hand. "Don't scare me like that again, you git. Get better."

With that, she kissed his cheek and she left the hospital wing, leaving a chuckling James behind.

**Lily**

James getting attacked had scared Lily more than she was willing to admit. However, the fact that it was _Severus_ who had done it certainly did not help. She wanted to march straight to him and beat him up the Muggle way right then, but Remus, Dorcas and Emmeline held her back, while Peter just stayed indifferent. However, Sirius was all for it.

"Oh, come on, that little shit deserves it!" Sirius exclaimed.

"No, you two," Dorcas said, giving him a firm glare, "Trust me, I'd love to hex him a couple times, too, but he's not even worth it."

Sirius scowled. "Fine." he grumbled.

Dorcas smiled softly at him and sat on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple, brightening instantly.

None of this changed Lily's mind. She told the others she was going to visit James again, making all of them smirk, but, really, she was off to find Severus. She wrapped her cloak and scarf around her. It wasn't hard to find him. He was huddled outside with Mulciber, Avery, and Yaxley. They were talking intently, but when Severus caught sight of Lily storming toward him, he broke off from the group.

"Severus, what is _wrong_ with you?" Lily exclaimed, shoving him immediately.

He stumbled back and eyed her as she whipped her wand out warily. "Are you talking about your little boyfriend? Well, he deserved it, brain washing you like that."

She let out a humorless laugh. "Hardly. I came up with the Death Eater idea by myself."

He scowled. "Even better."

"So, tell me, you're _not_ a Death Eater?"

He hesitated, which was answer enough for her. She resisted the urge to either scream at him, punch him right in the face or burst out crying. Her best friend - ex-best friend - a Death Eater. She finally began to grasp the thought, and lowered her wand, dejected.

"Stay away from me." she demanded firmly, surprised her voice didn't shake. She sounded a lot more confident than she was. Lily bit her lip with one last look at him and turned, running back up the path.

"Wait! Lily, I can explain!" Snape yelled after her, but she was already inside the castle.

**James**

"Alright, Mr. Potter, you can go."

"Finally." grumbled James, immediately slipping out of the sheets of the hospital bed.

He put on his shirt and cloak to cover the thin lines tracing his chest and then bolted out of the suddenly-stuffy hospital wing. He headed for the Gryffindor common room, not even stopping to look for Snape. He stopped at the portrait hole, nearly yelling the password.

"No need to yell, boy." the Fat Lady sniffed before she swung open.

James immediately saw his friends sitting in one corner of the common room. He went over to them, grinning.

"Hey, guys." he greeted them, then noticed Lily wasn't among them and frowned, "Where's Lily?"  
They all stared at him blanky.

"Uh, she's supposed to be with you, mate." Remus said, furrowing his brow.

Then Emmeline groaned. "No, Lily! She went to find Snape." she realized, grimacing.

"Smart girl." Sirius muttered approvingly, and Dorcas slapped him upside the head.

"We have to find her."

"I'll go find her. You guys stay here." James insisted, pushing Dorcas back into her chair.

"Erm, are you sure?" Emmeline asked.

"Yeah." he murmured, then went back the way he came.

"Be careful, James!" Remus warned him as he slipped out of the portrait hole.

James didn't really know where to look, so he started down the main staircase, glancing around. He was about to turn back around when he saw a distressed-looking Lily running toward the stairs, head down. He met her halfway and she didn't see him until he grabbed her arms.

"Hey, hey," he said as he careened her to a stop. "What happened?"

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with unshed tears. "James?" she said blankly.

"Lily, what's wrong?"

She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I just went to go curse Severus - "

"_Lily _- "

"Don't worry, I didn't. I was sort of taken aback when he confirmed he was a Death Eater." she grumbled.

James hesitated. "Ah, Lily, I'm . . . I'm sorry."

He didn't know what else to say. Instead, he just kept his mouth shut, and enveloped her in a hug. She hugged him back after a moments hesitation, burying her face into his shoulder. He rubbed her back soothingly and she sighed.

"It's okay, Lily, I've got you," he murmured into her hair. "I've got you."

It was the only thing James could thing of - but, after a while, it stopped Lily from crying, and that was enough for him.


	39. A True Gryffindor

_A/N: Wow. I'm just letting you guys know - this one's really dark. :O I wasn't expecting it to turn out that way, but it is. At least, to me, just because anything that has to do with fighting/death/pretty-much-anything-that-makes-you-sad is dark to me. :) Anyway, I hope I did the evil people at an, at least, acceptable level. :/_

_ Anyway, happy reading! And I'd be interested in what you guys think of this one. . . ._

**A True Gryffindor**

_**March 4, 1980**_

The darkness was encompassing. The streets were damp and gloomy, and the only light that dimly illuminated the sidewalks was a lonely streetlamp. Something about the atmosphere of the eeiry October night whispered that no one should be wandering the streets at that hour.

However, a person in a long black cloak, the hood hiding their face, was walking quickly down the street. The only sound was the clacking of their shoes, and, if one listened closey, the sound of their slightly labored breathing.

Dorcas Meadowes wasn't scared of the night like she should be at the moment. Anything could happen during the war, she knew that. But she was on a mission. She needed to be fearless, for the sake of the greater good - for the Order of the Pheonix. She knew Sirius would be infuriated to know she took the mission - which is precisely why she didn't tell him.

The Order had found out where the Death Eaters were meeting that evening. Dorcas was going there to see if they were correct. They had been worried that Voldemort's followers would discover Dorcas before she had sent a Patronus to let them know whether or not their assumption was true, but she assured them she would be fine.

Maybe she was too confident for her own good - but she needed to do this. She just felt like she was meant to, whatever the outcome may be.

Finally, she stopped in front of the large, dark, ominous building, her cloak flowing to a stop behind her. The only thing between her and the most dangerous evil wizards and witches of the age was a gate and a few concrete walls.

Therefore, one might say she was completely mental as she did not just unlock the gates - she blew them up. Maybe she was over-doing it a bit, but it certainly felt good. She felt an overwhelming urge to hurt these people - make them pay for they'd done to the Wizarding World and all the harmless Muggles. She would harm them and accept the price that came with it.

Of course, she had to make sure they were actually in the house first. So, she brushed her cloak of the dust particles and stepped lithely over the rubbish on the ground. She walked briskly up the stone stairs, the wind blowing the tail of her cloak around her. She kept her hands on her hood to keep it from falling and revealing her face.

"_Alohomora_." she murmured, and the huge wooden doors clicked open. She raised an eyebrow. Surely they'd been more careful? Or maybe they'd thought no one would be stupid enough. Dorcas shrugged and opened the door with a loud _creeeeaaak. . . ._

She heard low murmurs immediately. She debated on whether to send her Patronus, but a voice interrupted her train of thought.

"Certainly we don't have a visitor?"

She knew that voice. She'd heard it only once before, in battle - it had called Dumbledore a fool.

Yes, she knew that voice.

Lord Voldemort.

There was a hallway to her left, and through that there was a door that had a dim light coming from it. It was surely where they were and where the voice had come from. They knew she was there.

Dorcas found herself walking against her will to the room at the end of the hall and stopped in the doorway. The Death Eaters all turned to look at her from where they were sitting at the table. But her eyes were only on the figure at the end. His red slitted eyes studied her and he flicked his wand. Her hood flew off, and her face was revealed.

"Ah, I've seen you before. A pureblood, I believe."

Dorcas didn't know what he was getting at. He should've killed her by now. The only reason she hadn't pulled out her own wand was from shock - and she was being controlled. She couldn't move. All she could think was - Voldemort wasn't supposed to be there.

Maybe she could've taken just the Death Eaters. Probably not, but maybe.

But with Voldemort there . . . Dorcas was as good as dead.

"Dorcas Meadowes," a gruff voice of one of the Death Eaters said. Mulciber. "Order member."

"And such potential," Voldemort murmured and stood, coming over to her with his wand still in his hand. He stopped in front of her face and she regarded him blankly. "But I'm going to kill you, Dorcas Meadowes, you realize?"

Many of the Death Eaters snickered at this. Dorcas' expression was still blank.

"Unless, of course . . . you join us."

Dorcas felt the spell that was controlling her ebb, supposedly so she could talk. She didn't speak for a while, and Voldemort's mouth slowly turned into a smile.

"Do not be a fool." he hissed, his voice matching his cruel grin.

Dorcas knew they were expecting many things - but she knew they weren't expecting her to smile.

Again, she did not speak for a long time. Then, she finally whispered with a small laugh, "Go to hell." She quickly waved her wand and exclaimed, "_Expecto Patronum!_"

Her fox leaped out and disappeared out the door, despite Voldemort's cry of rage. At least she had hope that the bastards would pay - because, other than that - there was no hope left for Dorcas Meadowes. She felt frozen again.

"My lord - please, let me show the girl what happens to - " Lestrange started, but Voldemort raised a hand. A cold fury lit his eyes.

"No, Bellatrix. She let her little friends know we're here. We must kill her quickly, but do not worry - when the rest of them get here, and they see their friend dead . . . the look on their helpless faces will be worth it," he said mildly, his eyes only on Dorcas. Then, he ordered, "Scatter throughout the house."

The Death Eaters obliged, sneering at her as they left. Dorcas looked on at Voldemort, and she wasn't nessecarily surprised to find she did not fear him anymore. What was there to fear, when you knew you only had seconds to live?

"I do not fear you, Voldemort." she proclaimed, forcing her lips to move.

His eyes flashed and he raised his wand to her. "You should." he snarled.

Then, a jet of green light illuminated her vision.

She didn't scream.

She didn't even feel anything.

Best of all . . . she truely was not afraid.

Her death was not put to waste. Five Death Eaters were killed that night by the Order. And Dorcas' body was gently carried by Sirius Black out of the house to be buried.

If nothing else, Dorcas Meadowes had died a true Gryffindor.


	40. When One Has a Number of Options

**When You Have a Number of Options**

_**December 22, 1976**_

Sirius Black was dead bored. As a sixth year trouble-maker extrordinaire, it killed him to be staying at Hogwarts, rather than with James, over Christmas break. The only reason he wasn't with his best mate was because his banishment was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professors' way of welcome to Sirius (after he set off a dungbomb in his office a week before).

So there he sat in the Gryffindor common room in one of the fluffy armchairs, staring into the fire, both hands supporting his chin. He was sulking. And proud of it.

Few people milled around, seemingly _alright_ with being _dead bored_ days before _Christmas_. He sighed irritably and was about to get up and "terrorize" - as McGonagall so kindly put it - some younger students when -

Lily Evans burst into the common room, bawling. Sirius raised his eyebrows, halfway through the process of lifting himself from his chair, and watched as she secluded herself in a corner, her hand over her mouth. She slid down the wall and sat in the fetal position, her eyes puffy and red and her hair a mess. Overall, not a happy woman. Sirius shuddered at the thought of an unhappy Lily Evans. But Lily wasn't unhappy - she was upset.

Sirius knew right there that he had a number of options:

1. Kindly go over there and ask if she was okay - be her shoulder to cry on, but end up getting slapped anyway.

2. Run up to the dorms and act as if he hadn't seen anything.

Sirius didn't know what had gotten into him. He was kind of guy to immediately do the latter, but something urged him to walk over to her. He wondered what he looked like as he had an inner battle with himself, walking over to Lily Evans - the quick-witted red-head that James had had a _bloody_ crush on since first year. (Rather annoying, having James gush about her like a woman half the time, if you asked Sirius.)

The point was, however, that Sirius Black was walking over to Lily Evans, not because he wanted to "terrorize" her, but to comfort her.

What had happened to the world?

"Lily," he said quietly, squatting down to her eye level, resting his forearms on his knees. "Are you alright?"

She looked up at him, and a weary expression crossed her face. "Do I look alright to you, Sirius?"

_Okay, try again, Black. You got this. Just think 'what would James _not_ do' and you'll be alright._

"Well, no - "

"Thanks."

_C'mon, you sodding prat, think!_

"But - well, do you want to talk about it?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

She wiped her cheeks and stared at her hands resting on her knees. "Why should I trust you?"

_Good question. Keep cool._

He shrugged. "Because I'm the only one here."

She glanced at him and after a while, said, "I suppose you're right."

_Boo-yah!_

"Well?" he prodded gently.

"Well, I . . . Severus and I had an argument is all." she mumbled, slouching down more and pulling her sleeves over her hands.

_Do not react to the name. Do not react to Snivellus' name. Don't you do it, Sirius Black._

"What about?" he asked indifferently.

"Do you remember that day - the day he called me a - "

"Yeah, I do." Sirius cut her off, swallowing uncomfortably.

"We had an argument about that - and the people he hangs around with. People like - "

"Mulciber and Avery - yeah, I've seen them together."

"Yes, and, well - I don't know what to do anymore. He's been my best friend since before Hogwarts, and I just - it's hard to accept he's becoming one of them. He's becoming someone I don't want to be friends with," she explained, seeming lost in her own world. Then, she took notice to Sirius and hastily said, "Oh, Sirius, I'm sorry, I don't want to bore you - "

_You know, Evans really isn't that bad - she's not a sassy frass all the time. _

"You know what I think, Lily?" he murmured. She regarded him curiously. "I think you should stop being friends with Snape. I know I'm a bit biased - "

She snorted.

"But I've seen what he does, who he hangs around with. And they have this - obssession with the Dark Arts. I'm sure you know about that. The point is, the bad weighs out the good in this situation, from where I can see. I don't know if you'll take Sirius Black's - the 'insufferable git's right-hand man', I believe you so kindly put it - " he said, and both of them chuckled, " - opinion, but I - there's a reason we hate Snape, you know? Believe it or not, but we're not really bad guys, Lily. _James_ isn't a bad guy."

She swallowed and glanced at him. "Thanks, Sirius."

He flashed her a small smile, putting a hand on her shoulder. "No problem, Evans," he grunted, pushing himself to a stand. "I'm a softie deep down - but if you ever tell anyone, you're goin' down. Be ready for the greatest prank of your life." he chuckled, helping her up as well.

She laughed quietly. "Your secret's safe with me, Black."

He nodded. "Right. Well, off to bed for me, I guess." he decided and gave her one last smile before starting to sidle away.

"Sirius?" she called.

He turned, his eyebrows raised. "Yeah?"

"Thanks - and merry Christmas." she said, smiling.

He smiled back. "Merry Christmas, Evans."

"Oh, and, uh, one more thing," She bit her lip, seeming to have a hard time getting the words out. "Maybe . . . well, maybe you're right about James. Can you, uh - can you tell him I say 'Merry Christmas', as well?"

Sirius smirked. "You love him, Evans, don't deny it."

She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "You _boys_ always jump to conclusions."

He winked. "You bet we do. Now go to bed, Evans. Those puffy eyes need some beauty sleep."

She glared at him. "Watch it, Sirius - "

"Yeah, yeah, I'll send James your love, don't worry - "

"_Sirius_, I _only _said 'Merry - "

"No, no, I understand the hidden message, Evans, I got it - "

"_Sirius!_"

But he was already skipping up the stairs.

James was going to be thrilled.


	41. To Be or Not to Be?

**To Be or Not to Be?**

_**September 1, 1971**_

**James**

"James Christopher - _wait for us_! You - can't just - run - away!"

James Potter grinned and whipped around to face his mum and dad, who were just now catching up with him. They looked at each other in expaseration and Mrs. Potter put a comforting hand on Mr. Potter's shoulder.

"Now, James," Mr. Potter sighed, "We talked about this - no running away from mum and dad when we're in public places. Remember?"

"Yep," James said impatiently, "Can I go through the barrier now? _Please_?"

Both sighed at the same time, which amused James very much.

"You are going to be the death of us, James." Mrs. Potter sighed, "Alright, go ahead then. Write us, alright? Or we'll start pestering you with our own letters. And don't cause trouble and get expelled - your poor father might have a stroke," she warned, leaning down to give him a kiss on the cheek. Then, she whispered in his ear, "Not _too _much trouble, James, yeah? But have a little fun. I know you will anyway."

James grinned at his mum and kissed her cheek, then his dad patted him on the shoulder.

"Have fun, James. And, for Melrins' sake, don't get into trouble, or a Howler's comin' your way, you hear?" he said, raising his eyebrows challengingly.

James fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I got it - can I go _now_?"

Mrs. Potter chuckled and laced her arm through her husbands. "Yes, James. Have fun - be careful! No, _watch out for _- there's a _person _there, James! _Be careful_!" Mrs. Potter called after her son, who was barrelling through muggles to get to platform nine and three-quarters as fast as he could.

**Lily**

Lily Evans gathered up her things after saying goodbye to her mum and dad and was about to board the Hogwarts Express when -

"What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Wasn't me, yah lunatic!"

Lily turned, recognizing the first voice, to see Severus Snape leaning over his trunk, which had fallen and opened, his knickers and other things strewn everywhere. There was a boy standing over him, who had his cheeks puffed out to keep from laughing. He had long black hair and gray-ish eyes. The other boy, with ridiculous-looking untidy hair, hazel eyes, and square glasses, stood and watched with his eyebrows raised in an amused way. Lily recognized him as the boy who lived down the street from her and her temper flared. She took an immediate disliking to the two boys and their air of arrogance. She marched over and started helping Severus with his things.

"Are you alright, Severus?" she asked kindly as he closed his trunk and locked it, glaring at the two boys.

"_Fine_." he muttered, then stormed back onto the train. He was obviously embarressed and furious.

Lily glared at the two eleven year olds.

"_James!_ Who in Melrin's name do you think you _are_? You can't do that!" she exclaimed with her hands on her hips.

"Well, I'm Sirius Black, and that's James Potter - right?" Sirius looked to James for reassurance. He nodded in a daze. "Right. And - "

"I know what his name is!" she yelled hastily, "Why did you do that?"

"As you for your other statement," he continued, "it was just a joke. Don't get so worked up about it."

"It was mean!" she insisted.

His eyes danced with amusement. "It was a joke. You're taking it too seriously, crazy lady - "

"My name is _Lily Evans_, and I am not crazy! Just leave Severus alone!"

"Lily's a pretty name." blurted James.

She grimaced. "I have nothing to say to you, James. I see you haven't changed at all."

Then, with a flip of her hair, she grabbed her trunk and strode back onto the train, her head high.

**James**

"Phew. What a physco," Sirius sighed as Lily walked back onto the train angrily. "But you seemed a little quiet. Something wrong? It seems like you two knew each other."

"Yeah, but . . . she's sorta . . . . she's sorta different than before. . . . she's . . . she's pretty." James breathed.

Sirius snorted. "Ah, I see. You fancy her."

James was shaken out of his reverie at those words and scowled. "I . . . do not!" he protested unconvincingly.

"Do too," Sirius grinned, "C'mon, let's get on the train. Maybe we'll bump into Evans again, lover boy. Dunno if we made a great first impression, but she'll come around eventually, I reckon."

James nodded distractedly as he followed his new friend Sirius onto the train. They'd met just moments before they decided to prank Severus (he'd been boasting to some guy about how he was going to sorted into Slytherin). Then Lily came along. James had been at a lost for words under the scrutiny of her green eyes. . . . But he swore to himself, as him and Sirius found an empty compartment, that he would never lose his head around her again.

After him and Sirius had gotten settled and were looking through the latest edition of the magazine _Quidditch!_, there was a knock on the compartment door. A pale-looking, brown-haired lad stepped in and gestured to the empty bench across from them.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked.

"Not at all. James Potter." James said, removing his feet from the bench so the boy could sit.

"Remus Lupin." he said, smiling distractedly as he lifted his trunk to the overhead compartment.

"Sirius Black." Sirius added while pointing out to James the newest edition of broomstick.

"Black? I've hear that name before. . . ." Remus trailed off, frowning as he sat down across from James.

"No, I don't think you have." Sirius said, trying for nonchalant.

Remus and James exchanged shrugs.

"Like Quidditch, Remus?" James inquired as his eyes scanned the description of the broomstick.

"I suppose so. You two do, I reckon?" he asked.

"Yeah. Trying out for the team whenever I can - "

The door slid open again and a small, rather chubby, watery-eyed boy stepped in.

"Do you think I could . . . ?" he asked, gesturing to the seat. "All the others are taken. . . ."

"Sure, go ahead." Sirius allowed, raising his eyebrows as the boy struggled to get his trunk into the compartment.

"Need help, mate?" James asked, his eyebrows also raised.

"No, no, I've got it." the boy grunted, finally tugging it free. "My name's Peter Pettigrew."

They exchanged pleasentries, and soon they were talking merrily about their new year at Hogwarts - Sirius also mentioned their little squabble outside with Lily and her Slytherin friend.

"You fancy her then?" Remus asked James curiously, smirking.

James scoffed. "Well, I mean, _maybe_ - she's very bossy and all - "

"Yeah, he does." Sirius interrupted, tearing off the wrapper of a chcoclate frog and biting into it.

"Well, it doesn't seem like she likes you very much." Remus chuckled, eating some pumpkin pasties.

James smirked - one that would become somewhat of a trademark - and looked out the window. "Well, luckily, I'm not one to give up."


	42. Falling Slowly

_A/N: So this one's a little different. I don't know if you'll like it as much, but I decided to try it. :) I would definately recommend listening to this song while reading - it definately helped me write it. It's called 'Falling Slowly' by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova and it's absolutely beautiful. :) So, yes, tell me what you think since this ones a little different. :)_

_ Happy reading!_

**Falling Slowly**

_**October 21, 1977**_

"_I don't know you, but I want you - all the more for that - words fall through me and always fool me, and I can't react. . . and games that never amount to more than they're meant will play themselves out. . . . Take this sinking boat an point it home - we've still got time. . . ._"

It started with a kiss - the fight that spiraled out of control, that is. James and Lily had an on-again-off-again relationship up to this point, and it wasn't healthy for either of them. Not for Lily, who was afraid of getting six years worth of insults thrown back in her face and of getting her heart broken. Not for James, who was putting too much faith and time into the relationship than it was ready for.

So, it started with a kiss in the Heads common room. The kiss was an angry one, from James to Lily as he desperately asked what she wanted. . . .

"Do you or do you not want to be with me, Lily?" he exclaimed, holding her arms.

She met his gaze with uneasy eyes and she swallowed, panicking. "James, I don't know - "

"You don't _know_?"

"_I don't know_!"

"How can you not know, Lily? Look at me!" She forced her eyes to look at him, and found he looked more angry then she had ever seen him.

"_Raise your hopeful voice, you have the choice, you make it now. . . ._"

"Look at me, and tell me what you want! Because I'm sick of waiting and wanting something that I can't have. _You_ are what I want, and if I can't have you, I'd rather know now and try to deal with it than later."

Lily put her head in her hands. She felt like her head would explode if she tried to sort things out any longer. It was just too much for her to take and she made a frustrated sound, looking back up at him.

"James, I can't answer that right now, alright? I can't think - "

And that's when his angry, desperate lips met her surprised, hesitant lips. He put one of his arms around her waist and one of his hands held her cheek as Lily gasped, slowly lifting her hands to his chest. When James finally pulled back from her, he studied her, searching for an answer. Her expression was blank.

"_Falling slowly, eyes that know me, and I can't go back. . . ._ _Moods that take me and erase me, and I'm painted black. . . ._"

He let out a humorless chuckle. "Right." he muttered and turned away from her, walking over to an armchair in front of the fire and collapsing into it. He put his head in his hands, defeated.

Lily stared at him.

"_You have suffered enough and warred with yourself - it's time that you won. . . ._"

She went over to the chair and stood in front of him, finally stripping herself of fear.

"_Take this sinking boat, and point it home, we've still got time. . . ._"

He looked up at her and she lifted one hand to his hair and the other to his cheek.

"_Raise your hopeful voice, you have the voice, you've made it now. . . ._"

He pulled her onto his lap and she put her lips to his, a silent agreement that he was indeed what she wanted.

"_Falling slowly, sing you're melody, I'll sing it back. . . ._"


	43. Of Course

**Of Course**

_**March 5, 1975**_

"Of course she'll go out with me! Why would you think otherwise?" Sirius scoffed, leaning back on the back two legs of his chair in the Gryffindor common room, raising his eyebrows at his two friends.

James and Remus smirked at each other.

"Don't be so sure, Sirius," Remus said, "Dorcas seems like a pretty hot-headed kind of girl."

"Not to mention she has some sort of undying hate for us." James added.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "_Please._ It'll be easy."

James snorted. "Alright, then, go ask her, wanker!"

Sirius gave James one last cocky look before making his way over to where Dorcas, Lily and Emmeline were sitting, talking and laughing quietly on the couch in front of the fire.

"Why hello, ladies." Sirius said charmingly, leaning against the arm of the couch.

They all looked up at him questioningly.

"No, we won't give you the answers to the Herbology homework - " Dorcas started, turning her attention back to her book.

"And if James sent you over here to be his little messenger, _no_, I will not go out with him - "

"And _no_ it would not be a good idea to prank anyone in Slytherin," Emmeline finished, then added as an afterthought, "Or Hufflepuff for that matter - you pick on them all the time."

Sirius swallowed. Maybe this wouldn't be so easy.

"Erm, actually, I wasn't coming over here to ask any of those things." he corrected, shifting slightly.

"Alright, what then?" Dorcas asked impatiently, closing her book as she looked up at him.

"Er, well, uh, I was wondering whether you wanted to to Hogsmeade with me next weekend." he asked her uneasily.

She stared at him. "Are you joking?"

"No. . . ."

"This isn't some sort of prank?"

"No. . . ."

"And you're not on anything?"

"Erm, _no_. . . ."

She stared. "Well, then. No."

"What?" he asked, blinking.

"No." she repeated, reopening her book.

Lily and Emmeline stared at them, their mouths agape, as Sirius processed this information.

"You don't want to go out with me?" he asked stupidly.

"_No_, Black. Now go away or I'll hex you." she snapped, not taking her eyes off her book.

Sirius turned and walked back to his friends in a daze. Remus and James shook with silent laughter as Sirius plopped down in the chair across from them.

"That . . . didn't go - as I planned." Sirius noted, his brow furrowed.

Remus and James outright laughed at that, and Sirius broke out of his reverie, scowling.

"Yeah, laugh all you want, but just know that your friend is _heartbroken_!"

"Oh, shut it," James chuckled, "You're acting like a - "

"Don't you _dare_ say Hufflepuff. Don't you say it." Sirius warned.

Remus and James shared an amused glance before looking back to their friend, proclaiming in unison -

"Hufflepuff."

A silence.

"What the hell is a Hufflepuff anyway?"


	44. I'm Not In It to Win It

_A/N: Long! Super long! I'm sorry! But hopefully it'll be worth it. I dunno, it's more of a thriller this time, I guess. So, I hope you like it. :)_

_ Happy reading!_

**I'm Not In It To Win It**

_**December 13, 1977**_

"That's so cute!"

"_You and James_ are so cute! I can't believe you two are actually a couple now."

"I wonder what we would say if someone told us you'd be with James back in the beginning of the year?" Dorcas wondered aloud.

They all snorted.

"I think I'd laugh and then smack in the face." Lily replied, shrugging.

"So are you two going to the Christmas Ball together?" Alice asked, folding her legs underneath her excitedly.

Lily shrugged. "I guess so. I mean, he hasn't asked me."

"Well, of course he'll ask you. Remus has asked you, Emma?"

"No, he's sick, apparently." Emma shrugged, not seeming too fazed by it.

"Well, you're still going, aren't you?" Lily checked.

Emma shrugged. "Nah, I think I'll catch up on school work - "

"Emma - "

"No, no. Stop it, I'll be fine," she assured them, flashing a smile. "And what about Sirius? Has he asked you yet, Dorcas?"

"Not yet. I guess they're sort of iressponsible that way." Dorcas rolled her eyes.

"Who're irresponsible?" Sirius asked as the boys came into the common room.

James came over and grinned at Lily, pecking her on the lips before sitting down next to her on the couch. Sirius came around and sat beisde Dorcas, Alice sat on Frank's lap and Remus took up the other armchair.

"_You_ and _James_ are irresponsible," Dorcas answered, slapping his chest. "You haven't asked your girlfriend to the dance yet - either of you." she sniffed.

Sirius and James exchanged a bewildered glance.

"We were _going_ to, but thanks for stealing our thunder." Sirius said, chuckling.

"Oh," Dorcas mumbled, "Sorry."

Lily chuckled and leaned into James' chest.

"So, you're going to the dance with me?" Sirius checked.

"Of course, you idiot!" Dorcas huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Sirus laughed and pulled her into a hug, despite her obvious annoyance. She smiled, none the less. Lily looked up at James curiously and he grinned widely at her.

"I know this will come as a surprise, but - would you go to the dance with me?" he asked sarcastically.

She laughed. "I _suppose_."

_**December 14, 1977**_

"You know it's supposed to be a full moonon the night of the ball? I find that rather creepy. It'll be shining down on us and all that. . . ." Emmeline went on, but James and Sirius weren't listening.

They stiffened - they'd completely forgotten. How could they've forgotten? James was glad Peter wasn't there or he'd probably start wimpering.

"What?" Lily asked him, frowning.

James glanced at her, distracted. "Er, it's nothing."

Lily put her hand on his arm. James could tell he'd worried her now, so he turned to her before she could say anything.

"Don't worry, Lily. I just - it's nothing." he said, attempting to be reassuring.

She hesitated but then nodded reluctantly, still studying him closely. Nevertheless, him and Sirius caught each other solemn glances over the table.

"Remus, you knew the whole time?" Sirius yelled up in their dorm room that night, "You knew the whole time, and you didn't _say anything_?"

"I don't want you guys to worry about me, alright?" he yelled back, which was very unlike Remus, even for the touchy werewolf subject, "I'll be fine, I was before you started babysitting me! You just go to the dance and have fun, okay?"

"Are you crazy? We're not ditching you like that!" James exclaimed.

"Stop worrying about me! You're not droppping everything to watch over me - I'm not a child, I'll be fine!"

"Remus, what if something _happens_? And we won't be there to help you!" Sirius protested.

"There's nothing you can say that'll change our minds, we're going."

"_James_ - "

"We're not going to leave you!" he yelled.

"STOP - SAYING - THAT!" Remus slammed his fist into one of the posts of his bed and launched all his books off the bed to the floor.

"Remus, quit it! _Stop_!"

He ripped the blankets off the bed and knocked off the lamp on the bedside table. He would've done more if Sirius and James hadn't restrained him. He lashed and fought against them, but finally went limp in the chair. James and Sirius slowly backed away, beyond startled at their friend's totally out-of-character behavior. Remus put his head in his hand and he sobbed. The other two looked at each other, even more shocked and worried.

"Remus - "

"Go - away." he said in between sharp intakes of breaths.

Not wanting to distress their friend more, James and Sirius left in shocked silence.

The two boys were seated in front of the warm fire, staring into its depths as they meandered into their own thoughts. Remus didn't want them to go out with him, he wanted them to stay here and go to the dance, and, if they did that, they'd make their girlfriends and Remus happy. However, if they decided to go with Remus, their girlfriends would be completely pissed. But so many things cold go wrong. What if Remus went into the Forbidden Forest by himself, assuming Peter didn't go? Even if Peter did go, what could he possibly achieve in his rat form? (Or his human form, for that matter?) What if Remus didn't even go into the Forbidden Forest, what if he actually came up to the castle? He was so used to being occupied by Sirius and James - maybe he could sense them now, and would come up to the castle?

Of course, James' mind was running a bit wild. He just didn't know what was the right thing to do. Was there even a right option in this situation?

"Maybe we should give Remus a chance?" Sirius murmured finally, slowly looking over at James.

James met his gaze evenly. "And if something goes wrong?"

Sirius sighed, slightly weary. "We change and go save the day."

"And how will we _know_ if something goes wrong?"

"Peter."

"What if he's going to the dance?"

"Oh, please. Tell me why I shouldn't doubt that," Sirius scoffed quietly, "There are only three more days until Christmas break, and I want to spend as much time with Dorcas as possible."

"Maybe you should stay here, and I'll go with Remus. I'm going to see Lily over Christmas break."

Sirius looked over at him like he was worried for his sanity. "And how do you think Lily will feel about you ditching her?"

James grimaced. "That's a scary thought."

"Exactly."

"So . . . we let Remus go?"

"With Peter." Sirius added.

James nodded. "With Peter."

_**December 15, 1977**_

"That's bloody crazy! _You_ helped with the decorations for the ball?" Sirius scoffed the night of the Christmas Ball.

"Its my duty as Head Boy, Padfoot." James said importantly, tugging on his dress robes importantly with a smirk.

Sirius snorted. "I'm scared now."

"Thanks a lot."

"Don't mention it."

"I hope you know you shoot down my ego every day."

"Good. It needs to be deflated once and a while."

"And yours doesn't?"

"We're not talking about _me._"

"We are now."

"Shut up."

"You shut up."

Their mini-bickering session was interrupted as they were met by their girlfriends - and Alice Prewett and Frank Longbottom, who they'd become rather close with - right outside the corridor of the Fat Lady's portrait. Lily looked strikingly beautiful in an empire waisted dress that hit the floor elegantly and the dark green fabric looked marvelous on her.

James smiled as he held his arm out. "Look at you," he murmured, "You look beautiful."

She smiled back and took his arm. "And you look very handsome."

He smiled wider. "Shall we?"

Sirius answered for him, Dorcas on his arm in her blue dress, "We shall."

They weaved their way through the couples and groups of friends toward the Great Hall, laughing at jokes him and Sirius were cracking along the way. Finally, they managed to squeeze their way into the Great Hall, where the theme was blue and white. Snowflakes were enchanted to fall from the cieling and disappear just above everyone's head, and there were twinkling fake icicles on the cieling. There were blue and white billowed fabrics hanging from the walls and on the tables. There were long displays of platters and platters of food and there were other tables that students sat at, eating or talking. There was an enormous dance floor in the middle, enchanted to look like ice and it glowed slightly.

"The ice enchantment was my idea." he boasted quietly to Sirius, just to piss him off.

Sirius scoffed. "Sure it was, Prongs."

"No, it was," James protested, smirking, "I just have this super creative side you don't know about - "

"What are you two hissing about now?" Dorcas asked wearily.

"How beautiful our girlfriends look." Sirius answered smoothly, and Dorcas rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"That was a retorichal question." she muttered.

He laughed. "Oh, dance with me, Meadowes."

He spun her onto the dance floor before she could protest and she laughed as he did a goofy two-step to the middle of the floor, where they stopped and slowed.

Alice snorted. "What a goofball."

"I know, right?" James scoffed.

"You're no better, James." she noted jokingly.

James scowled playfully at the petite girl, who laughed.

"Come on, let's dance. We don't need _them._" James joked, grinning at the couple as him and Lily spun to the floor.

He pulled her close and she put her head on his shoulder. They swayed for a while in silence, enjoying each others company.

"We did a pretty good job with the decorations, didn't we?" she murmured.

James smiled. "Yeah, we did. And we didn't even have to set it up - the prefects did."

"We should've helped," she chuckled quietly, "You wouldn't tell me what date you assigned for setting it up."

"Yes, well - superiority." he murmured, smirking.

"That's a lame excuse." she noted, but he could hear her smile.

"I know."

Everything was well. The couples took their seats at a quaint little table for the night, drinking pumpkin juice and other such things when -

A howl eminated throughout the castle. It echoed it James' ears and his eyes widened, his hand going limp in Lily's. Too close. It was too close and too angry. He turned around to face Sirius in sheer panic and found he looked the same. It shocked James that no one else was as panicked as they were - maybe it was because they were so familiar with the sound. Maybe it was because they had animal instincts buried inside them. Or maybe it was because they'd just been _waiting_ for something to go wrong.

"James? Sirius? What's wrong?" Lily asked urgently, squeezing James' hand.

"Didn't you hear that?" he asked sharply, not even realizing what he was saying. He stood, along with Sirius. Lily and Dorcas stood as well, sharing an alarmed gaze.

"Hear what? The wind?" Lily asked, completely confused.

"We have to take care of something," Sirius said intently, grabbing Dorcas by the shoulders. "Listen to me carefully, both of you - don't come looking for us. Don't leave here, alright? We - we'll be back later," he said urgently, then muttered to James, "I hope."

"Lily, stay with Dorcas tonight." James murmured to her, gently pushing her toward her friend. The two girls looked totally baffled.

"Go!" Sirius urged before him and James went running.

They ran and ran, shoving through students and surprised professors, all too confused to do anything. They reached one of the exits to the castle and, around the corner, came face to face with a patrolling Professor McGonagall.

"Where, may I ask, are you two going?" she asked disapprovingly, leaving both of them shocked and anxious to get going.

"Er - I'll explain, Professor. James, you go." Sirius insisted, glancing at James.

"No, Mr. Potter, you stay - "

"Professor, you have to believe us, it's really important." Sirius explained quickly, and James quietly slipped out of sight down the corridor.

"Mr. Potter!" McGongall yelled after him.

Their voices faded as James hurtled down the wet grass and through the rain toward the Shrieking Shack. Another howl cut through the night, and James realized it did sound suspiciously like the wind - but he knew better. It wasn't coming from the Shrieking Shack or the Forbidden Forest. Remus was on Hogwarts grounds. James swore extensively and loudly, pushing his legs to go faster. As he ran, he changed into Animagus form, allowing him to move faster. As he sprinted through the grounds, another howl ripped through the rainy night and James followed it desperately.

Finally, Remus came into view. He was slashing around and howling by the lake - it seemed like he was looking for something. Whether it was James and Sirius or the Forbidden Forest, he did not know. James launched himself toward him and Remus rounded on him, baring his enormous teeth and growling menacingly. He was _not_ happy, whatsoever, and James was there for him to take his anger out on.

James realized this a little too late and took a painful blow to the head. He let out a pained yell, but this didn't faze the werewolf. He clawed his side and lashed his paw out. James let out a strangled cry of pain as he was flung into a huge oak tree. James fell with a loud thud and he couldn't force himself upright. He struggled to half-stand, but he just fell back down again. He could hear Remus approaching toward him, and James realized that he couldn't let himself be badly injured - or killed, for that matter, by the werewolf. Remus would never forgive himself.

James, with a new determination, stood shakily and glowered at the animal. It growled in a low rumble and James charged forward and bucked his antlers into Remus' chest, making him stumbled backwards. James could feel warm blood running down the side of his body but ignored it. He had to get Remus into the forest somehow.

He charged again and rammed his antlers into him again, but it only seemed to make him very angry. Remus backhanded James with his paw and James fell to the side limply. James turned back into his human form, too tired to keep up his Animagus. He could feel Remus leaning over him but really couldn't stand this time. Panic shot through him as Remus bent down towards him.

_He's going to bite me. . . ._ James thought groggily, making a last feeble attempt to get away as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

Before James completely blacked out, he heard deafening barking and wild padding of paws. . . .

"James. James, wake up."

The first things James realized was that he was freezing and that he was bloody sore. He groaned and forced his eyes open. He was slumped against a tree - the same tree he'd been thrown at last night - and it was daytime. He looked up at the figure in front of him and found Sirius there, frowning down at him.

"I know you're going to be mad you're still down here, but if it makes you feel any better, I slept here, too. You were wounded, but I healed most of your worst ones. You were unconscious, not to mention, so I couldn't carry you up to the common room, and I elft my wand back at the bloody ball. Even if I could carry you, that would look pretty . . . weird to the others students."

During Sirius' lengthy explaination, James sat up a little, wincing all the way. He realized that Sirius had healed James but hadn't bothered to heal himself. James rolled his eyes.

"Why'd you sleep out here if you were conscious?" he asked hoarsely, his body slightly shaking from the cold.

"I wasn't going to _leave_ you out here!" he scoffed.

"What the hell happened after I went out?"

"I saved the bloody day, I did," Sirius grumbled, "Got ruddy beaten while doing it, but I managed to drive him into the Forbidden Forest. I thought it was better not to tell him what happened."

"Sirius, we can't lie."

"He'll never let us go out with him again if he knew the truth."

"If he knew the truth, he'd never let us _not_ go out with him again."

"You don't know that, and we can't take any chances like this again."

James sighed. "Where is he now?"

"Up in the dorm. He thinks you went to the Heads dorm and I went to go fetch you."

"I thought you slept here? When did you tell him this?"

"I did sleep here. I got up early to keep the calm, though."

"He doesn't suspect anything?" James asked suspiciously.

Sirius grimaced. "You never know with that bloke. He never really gives anything away. But he was rather quiet."

"Where was Peter?" James suddenly asked.

Sirius sighed. "Don't know. Probably ran away, the little coward."

"What about McGonagall?" he asked, and tried to stand using the tree, but found it harder than he thought. He realized it was better to just stay seated for right then. "We get a bloody punishment?" he asked wearily, lifting his white button-down to gingerly prod at a bruise on his chest as big as his hand.

"No punishment," Sirius smirked, "I told her the truth, you know - "

"You what? She knows we're illegal Animagi?" James exclaimed, his eyes huge.

"She was actually rather proud of us. She said we showed her 'the loyalty of friendship shows no bounds in some cases'."

"But - she - she doens't care?" James scoffed, finding this hard to believe.

"Nope. I reckon she's not really fond of the Ministry right now, what with their pitiful attempts with the War and other such things." Sirius murmured, looking out to the lake.

James sighed and ran his hands over his face. "Guess we better get up there."

"Right. Let's go."

"Hold on, Padfoot," James said, rolling his eyes, "You forgot to heal you wounds."

He frowned. "Oh, yeah."

As Sirius sealed the ones on his face and neck, James healed the ones on his chest that were hurting him. He was still sore, though. When they were finished, they tried to fix James' hair even more so disheveled hair - that was saying something.

"You look like you've been struck by lightening everyday." Sirius noted, snorting as they made their way back up to the castle.

"That - is an exagerration." James protested lamely.

They both chuckled and walked into the castle. making their way up to the Gryffindor common room.

"Right, let's just smooth out this Remus sitaution right away then," James suggested, "Lily and Dorcas are probably pretty worried, too."

"Or just pissed off." Sirus added in a mutter as they stopped in front of the Fat Lady.

Sirius said the password and they were allowed in. They realized 'pissed off' was a understatment of sorts.

"_Impedimanta_!"

"_Levicorpus_!"

James got the '_impedimenta_' and flew back against the wall. His girlfriend didn't know, however, that he had been severely beat up the night before, so it hurt more than he was sure she'd intended to. He groaned and looked up to see Lily standing over him, her lips pressed together angrily.

"Let me down!" Sirius exclaimed from where he was upside down. Dorcas stood in front of him, equally angry.

"How _dare_ you scare us like that?" Dorcas yelled at both of them.

"We're _sorry_ - "

"Running off without telling us _anything_ except 'stay in the common room'? Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"Okay, let us ex - "

"And then you didn't _come back_?"

"We had to take care of - "

"We waited here for you two and you don't show up until _now_?"

"Actually, I came back a couple hours ago, but you were sleeping." Sirius pointed out and James shook his head at him.

They both pressed their lips together harder, glowering at Sirius. He cowered and it was pretty funny with him being upside down and the blood rushing to his head.

"I think you should let him down before he faints." James suggested indifferently.

Dorcas sighed and let him fall in a way that looked rather painful. Had they known what they'd been through last night - James shook his head slightly, snorting.

"Something to say, James?" Lily inquired, her eyes narrowed.

"Yes. We're sorry. We had to take care of something." he explained.

"You . . . had to take care of something." Dorcas repeated quietly and it really freaked James out.

"Er - yes."

"And what would that be?"

They were saved by a relieved voice.

"James! Sirius!" Remus ran up to them and took in the scene slowly. "What's wrong?"

"Well, _these two_ didn't - "

James had stood abruptly and grasped her hand. She looked at him in shock and he gave her the best warning look he could manage. She seemed to grudgingly understand and looked back to Remus.

"Erm, nevermind."

Remus looked between the four of them suspiciously. Sirius had his arm around Dorcas's shoulders in a form of restraint and he was grinning innocently.

"Something happened." Remus stated blandly, frowning.

"No. No, nothing happened," Sirius said nonchalantly, "How about some breakfast? I'm starved."

"Breakfast sounds good." James agreed heartily, following Sirius out the portrait hole.

"_James_! _Sirius_!" Remus ran to catch up with them. "What happened?" he hissed.

"Remus, just out of curiousity, where did you wake up last night?" James asked innocently.

"The Shrieking Shack, right where I changed. Did something happen?" he asked, paranoid.

"Remus, it's nothing you need to worry about." Siruis assured him.

"I'll find out eventually." Remus warned as Lily and Dorcas caught up with them.

Sirius and James exchanged a knowing look. No, Remus wouldn't find out.

It was better that way. Their best friend would have a slightly less troubled conscience, and that's all that mattered to James and Sirius.

So they walked to the Great Hall like all was normal - and even Remus gave in and started to believe everything was well.

_A/N: Yes, sort of depressing, I suppose. But it's pretty realistic in the fact that James and Sirius probably would've kept it from Remus, to protect him, you know? Well, hopefully it was a good sort of thrilling read. :)_

_ Thanks for reading! :)_


	45. Crazy Woman

**Crazy Woman**

_**December 12, 1979**_

Dorcas Meadowes wondered what the hell happened. Why had she let herself end up alone with Sirius back there, after their falling out as a couple a few months ago? Why had she let that happen?

Bundled in a wool coat, hat and scarf, she weaved her way through the streets of London, her head down - heading anywhere that wasn't the Prewett's apartment. She finally plopped herslef onto an outside bench, despite the bitter, snowy weather, and rested her chin on her fists as she stared out into the streets. The snow fell down rather fast, and she knew she really should get inside, but she just couldn't bear to walk at the moment. She preferred to think things out when she needed to rather than push it off till later. And that's exactly what she intended to do.

She closed her eyes and let herself finally go back over what had happened - something she desperately wanted to change, yet something she yearned to relive at the same time. . . .

She walked up to Fabian and Gideon Prewett's apartment, where the Order meeting was supposed to be held, a tad late. She entered the warm apartment and gratefully unravelled herself of her winter coat, hat and scarf. Now clad only in her sweater and jeans, she walked into the dining room, and found all the Order members who said they'd come already there. Fabian and Gideon, Lily and James, Frank and Alice, Remus, Marlene McKinnon, Mad-Eye, Edgar Bones, and Caradoc Dearborn. They were all seated at the long wooden table, Mad-Eye at the head.

"How nice of you to drop in, Dorcas." Mad-Eye welcomed her gruffly, gripping his large staff.

"I'm not _that _late." she muttered defiantly, taking a seat on the arm of the couch next to Lily.

Moody grunted, unconvinced, and went on with their game plans and reported new leaked information they'd recieved from their sources at the Ministry.

Yes, she was listening - the Order was something she felt passionately about . . . but she couldn't help but also watch Sirius out of the corner of her eye. She'd only seen him at Order meetings since their falling out, which she supposed was a mutual sort of thing . . . but not. They thought it was for the best . . . and it was, she supposed, since the Death Eaters could use it against them. . . . but . . .

"Dorcas," Lily said, elbowing her, "You're staring off into space again."

Dorcas jumped slightly and gave her an apologetic shrug. Dorcas' mind had been wandering off so far that she didn't even realize the meeting had ended. She cursed herself for not paying full attention.

Lily sighed and turned to her, the I-know-what's-wrong-with-you-because-I'm-your-best-friend look on her face. "He's in the living room, you know." she said simply, before standing and wandering off to find James in the kitchen.

Dorcas glared after her, cursing once again her all-knowing best friend look. "She's such a know-it-all." she muttered sulkily before getting up and meandering innocently into the living room.

Sirius was sitting on the in front of the crackling fire, Dorcas facing his profile. He was leaned forward, his forearms resting on his knees, as he stared into the fire, a distant look in his gray-blue eyes. His black hair was messy - though not as much so as James' - as if he had run his hand through it many times recently, and his face looked worn.

She swallowed and stepped forward. He seemed to have heard it, because he turned quickly. Upon seeing her, he relaxed and smiled weakly.

"Hey." he said, watching her as she walked over to the couch and sat beside him, "You okay?"

She shrugged, looking at her hands. "Yeah, I guess. You?"

He shrugged, too. "Could be better." he murmured, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

She glanced at him and then looked hastily away at the look he was giving her. She cleared her throat. "It's, uh, pretty cold outside." she noted.

"Yeah," he agreed, laughing, "Probably because it's winter."

She pushed her short blonde hair out of her face, snorting. "Yeah, probably."

"Well, we have the fire." he offered, glancing at her.

She avoided his gaze and nodded. "Yeah."

He looked back at the fire after a moment. "So, I have this friend, right?" he said suddenly, and she gave him a baffled glance.

"Uh, alright . . . "

He nodded. "And my friend has a problem. See, he broke up with his girlfriend - "

"Oh, look at the time," Dorcas said hastily, hopping up quickly and proceeding to slowly back out of the room. "I should get going."

"You don't have a watch." he pointed out, seeming amused by her reaction.

"I . . . I'm just - good at, er, guessing the time." she proposed, continuing to back out of the room.

He stood and sidled towards her. "You don't want to hear about my friend's problem?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

"Sirius," she warned, putting her arms out in front of her so he couldn't get any closer. "We _agreed_ that we wouldn't - that we shouldn't - "

"So you figured me out, huh?" he murmured and pushed her arms out of the way distractedly, wrapping one arm around her waist and putting one hand on her cheek.

"I need to get home." she protested weakly.

"Me, too." he said, bringing his face closer to hers.

"We can't, Sirius." she breathed.

"I know." he whispered against her lips - and then he kissed her.

She wanted to keep kissing him - she really did. But the nagging voice in the back of her head eventually won, and she pulled away.

"Sirius," she said for what seemed like the millionth time. "I - we can't."

With that, she broke away from him and ran for the front door. She heard Lily call her name in alarm, but she swung open the door before anyone could catch her, throwing on her coat, hat and scarf as she did so. . . .

And so Dorcas Meadowes ended up on a bench in the middle of London, her chin resting on her fists and the snow falling down on her dejected form.

So, what was she to do? She loved Sirius, she knew that. She also knew that if they were together alone again, nothing good would come of it. But if they were together, the Death Eaters would surely use it against them . . . ?

But Lily and James were fine. So were Alice and Frank. Why couldn't her and Sirius have that? Why did _they_ have to be the responsible couple? Obviously, Sirius didn't want it to be that way - not anymore, at least. He was probably as fed up as she was - she just had more willpower than the sorry boy.

She sighed and put her face in her hands. How was she going to -

"Dorcas Meadowes! It is _rude_ to run away from someone when they're _trying_ to kiss you!"

Oh, dear mother of Melrin. This couldn't be happening. Surely he wouldn't have . . . ?

Oh, but he would have.

Dorcas looked up and saw Sirius Black - thankfully he took the time to put a coat on - barrelling through people to get to her, yelling all the way, much to the Muggles annoyance. Dorcas yelped and jumped up, weaving her way through the throngs of people, away from him. She felt like a child, but _thinking _things out was different than _talking_ things out, and the _thinking _usually came before the _talking_, not the other way around.

Obviously, Sirius had something else in mind.

"Meadowes! Dear Merlin, you - are a piece of work, you know that?" he exclaimed, and she knew he was getting closer.

Finally, he caught hold of her arm in a less crowded place in the sidewalk, and she whipped around to face him. He took a exasperated deep breath, ignoring her attempts to get away.

"Stop it, woman! Merlin!" he exclaimed, and she finally went still, breathing hard.

"What, Sirius? There's nothing to discuss here, and I - "

"Well, what about that kiss then, huh?"

"_You _kissed _me_!"

". . . Well, that's true, but - "

"Ugh!" she exclaimed, attempting to storm away, but he caught her again.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," he sighed, and she turned to face him reluctantly. "You know I'm not the best when it comes to - "

"Talking?" she exclaimed exasperately, throwing her arms out.

"Yes!" he said, mimicking her tone. "Dorcas, it's just I . . . " he trailed off, then, as if he had trouble getting the words out, he explained, "I . . . I just . . . Dorcas, I - want . . . you - alright?" he laughed weakly, "And I know it'll be dangerous being together, but I just don't care anymore. I'll understand if you don't want to risk it, but . . . I just need you to know that I love you, and I don't want to be with anyone else, ever."

He then took a deep breath and she stood there, frozen. He smiled self-consciously - a shocker, coming from Sirius Black - and shrugged half-heartedly.

"So, uh, yeah . . . that's all I had to say," he said, nodding slowly and looking around uncomfortably. He didn't seem to notice the growing smile on her face. "And it probably sounded really stupid. . . . So, I'm just gonna - go now, I guess." he finished, gesturing back down the sidewalk. "I'll see you around, then, I guess. Bye, Dor - "

"You're such an idiot." she laughed.

He finally looked straight at her and he frowned. "What was that?"

She continued to laugh as if she'd never laughed before in her life. "Sirius, you prat, you didn't have to go make a whole romantic speech - all you had to do was kiss me again."

He stared at her in shock for a moment as she continued to laugh, then he broke out into a grin. He laughed with her and walked up to her, putting his hands on either side of her face.

"You crazy woman, why'd you let me go on like that?" he asked in between kissing her, chuckling all the while.

"It was hilarious." she replied, grinning.

"I hate you." he chuckled, kissing her once more.


	46. A Problem

**A Problem**

_**January 7, 1973**_

Remus Lupin had a problem.

He liked Emmeline. A lot. And he didn't know . . . he didn't think it was - safe for her. But Remus couldn't help but note how horribly unfair it was that every other boy could have a girlfriend, but Remus couldn't. Not to mention, James and Sirius went off with _multiple_ girls while Remus only wanted _one _and he couldn't even have that.

But who was Remus to complain? He turned into a blood-thirsty, raving monster once a month. He slept a lot. He was tired or sick most of the time at only thirteen years old. He wasn't even that good-looking - though one of his friends slapped him upside the head everytime he said as much - so why would a girl like Emmeline like him anyway?

Remus sulked on the windowseat, plagued by these thoughts, when none other than the girl he wanted but could not have, sauntered over to him. He let her copy his Herbology notes from the day she was sick, and she had them in hand as she walked over to him. He straightened and cleared his throat, trying to inconspicuously tidy his hair. She had a smile on her face that made Remus eye her suspiciously, and he silently took the notes she held out to him.

"Thanks for letting me use your notes, Remus." she said, smiling, then leaned down and kissed his cheek. She smiled wider and then went back to her giggling friends by the fireplace as Remus sat by the window, dumbstruck.

"Yeah, Remus, get it, boy!" came a yell from across the common room. James and Sirius had just sauntered in, Sirius being the one who yelled. James snorted and then nodded suggestively to Remus, wiggling his eyebrows.

Remus looked away, pretending he didn't know those people. Sort of like Lily Evans, who hurrumphed and turned away completely from them, continuing on her essay. And then James sidled over to her - that would be the first, but certainly not the last, time that James Potter would ask Lily Evans to go to Hogsmeade with him.

But Remus wasn't paying attention. He was just focusing on how pretty Emmeline looked laughing in the light of the fire, and how much of a disgustingly hopeless sap he was.

_Oh, well,_ he thought as he studied her, _who could blame him, really?_


	47. You Make My Dreams Come True

_A/N: This one is just plain silly, but it kinda makes me giggle since this is so unlike Lily. This is right after their little agreement to stay together, but the way, in 'Falling Slowly' and Lily's acting like a complete ninny. Haha. Anyway, I realize that all the music I've been referencing to in this story doesn't nessecarily exist yet, in the seventies, but . . . it does in my world. (If you were wondering.) :)_

_ So, happy readying, everyone!_

_ (Oh, and listening to this song might be a good diea. 'You Make My Dreams Come True', by Hall& Oats. It's beautiful. (; )_

**You Make My Dreams Come True**

_**October 22, 1977**_

"_What I want, you've got, and it might be hard to handle - but like a flame that burns a candle, the candle feeds the flame - what I've got's full stock of thoughts and dreams that scatter and you pull 'em all together - and how I can't explain, yeah, well you, you make my dreams come true. . . ._"

- Hall & Oats

James Potter wasn't as bad as she thought. He _wasn't as bad as she thought _- as a matter of fact, he was ten times the person she'd thought he'd been. And he'd just asked her out. Of course, she'd acted cool and calm when replying positively - but now . . . now was the time to let her girlish glee run its course.

She hurtled herself up the common room stairs, trying to surpress her giggles all the way and catapulted through the dorm door. She stopped with her hand on the knob, her three friends looking up at her in astonishment.

"What's going on?"

"Lily? Why are you smiling like an idiot?"

"Are you quite alright?"

Emmeline, Alice and Dorcas all stared at her wide-eyed as she just continued to grin before shutting the door quickly and laughing girishly. She'd never acted this feminine before, she was sure of it, and she didn't even know how James Potter had caused her to act this giddy, but -

"_Lily_!" Dorcas exclaimed, worry now in her eyes.

"He asked me to be his girlfriend!" she blurted out, then covered her mouth as another round of giggles spilled from her mouth.

"_Who_?" Emmeline and Alice asked in unsion.

"James! James asked me!" she exclaimed, now hopping on the balls of her feet.

They all exchanged glances.

"Am I dreaming?"

"Lily, what's _wrong _with you? Snap out of it, woman!"

"Are you _quite_ alright?"

But Lily wasn't listening - she was dancing around the dorm, humming loudly and off-tune.

"Dorcas, do you still have that Muggle stereo you bought from that man in Hogsmeade?" Lily asked breezily as she spun past her.

"Er - yes. But the boys were going to use it for a prank - "

"Do you have _music_?"

"Erm. Yes. But Lily, really, you need to get a hold of yourself, you're - "

But then Emmeline started giggling. Dorcas and Alice looked at her in shock and Lily grinned at her as she spun.

"Well - play the music, Dorcas, what are you waiting for?" Emmeline exclaimed, now giggling uncontrollably herself.

Alice snorted into her hand and then began laughing, too. Dorcas soon followed and scrambled to retrieve the radio from under her bed. She pulled out a CD at random and turned it on.

Soon, all four were jumping on beds, using hairbrushes as microphones, and dancing - or more like spasming - like maniacs.

These are the secrets of the teenage girl.

But the bathroom-buddy deal is another story entirely. That is purely code, and not at all a secret.

Now everyone knows. . . .


	48. Human

_A/N: I hope everyone's having a lovely day. :) Thank you for al the lovely reviews, they make me smile. :D_

_ Anyway, this is another sort of silly one. Hope you enjoy._

_ Happy reading! (Yes, Darren Criss _is_ awesome. Hence the reason one of his songs inspired this chapter. Hehe.)_

**Dumb Human**

_**March 23, 1974**_

"_I feel like a loser, I feel like I'm lost, I feel like I'm not sure if I feel anything at all - but, believe me, I'm not helpless, I just need someone to love, so my situation's rough, but that just makes me a dumb human, like you. . . .but, believe me, I'm not hostile, I just want to hear you laugh . . . why do I have this incredible need to stand up and say 'please, pay attention'? It's the last thing that I need to make myself see well, that ain't my intention. . . ._"

- Darren Criss

James felt like a loser, now that he thought over it all. Of course, he'd once again failed in getting Lily Evans to tolerate him. Not even _like_ him, just to tolerate him. But it seemed like she had her mind made up - especially when she'd slapped him back there in Potions. . . .

"Now, I will be assigning your partners this lesson, and you will complete this lesson together - as a way to . . . widen your connections, so to speak." Slughorn chortled, winking at the class. He held up the parchment to his nose and started rattling off the partners. "Black, Pettigrew. Lupin, Vance. Avery, Snape. Douglass, Meadowes. Mulciber, Forbes. Evans, Potter. Now, get started, lovelies." he listed off contentedly, seemingly oblivious to the furious look on Lily's face.

Sirius snorted. "Might I suggest again on you giving up on the lass, mate? Doesn't look like she's very interested."

Remus and Peter snickered at that and James glared at them.

"Laugh all you want. Just watch, by the end of the period, Evans will be happily engaged in this activity with me."

"Wanna bet?" Sirius grinned.

James ignored him, striding over to the middle of the classroom where Lily was standing, her hands clenched on the end of the desk. She didn't look at him, just sighed and started on the potion.

"So, how's it goin', Evans?"

She was tight-lipped as she dropped certain things into the cauldron, carefully writing down the process in her notebook. James did nothing.

"_It_ was going _fine_ until I was partnered with _you_." she snapped.

He bit his lip so he wouldn't make a smart comment back to her, but smiled to himself at her temper.

"Will you _help_ instead of just standing there smiling to yourself like a ninny?" she hissed, cutting up other ingredients.

"Yes, yes, alright." he muttered, grabbing some of the first thing he saw and plopping it into the concoction.

"_Potter_, that was not supposed to go in there, you _idiot_!" she seethed, fretting over the potion.

But James had spotted Sirius across the room, who'd been trying to get his attention. He was in the desk behind Snivellus and was sneakily dropping dead cockroaches into his hair so that he wouldn't notice. James grinned and managed to slip out his wand without Slughorn noticing. He started to levitate one of his own cockroaches over to Snape's head, but Lily grasped his arm.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, and the cockroach fell midway due to his lack of concentration.

He grimaced. "_Lily_, you're not helping me here. I'm trying to get that cockroach onto Snivellus' - " he stopped midsentence, realizing a little too late it _might_ not be a good idea to tell Evans what he was doing to one of her good friends.

Lily followed his gaze to where Snape was sitting and working vigorously, still oblivious to the insects on his head. Lily made an exasperated noise, and was about to do something about it when their potion started to make odd sounds. They both looked over at it slowly, and saw that it had turned an obnoxious bright blue color and was bubbling dangerously.

"Erm, I think we should maybe - "

And the it started to overflow, cutting off James' suggestion. The sky blue murk poured onto the desk and then over James and Lily's feet. James just got a glimpse of Lily's murderous expression before the world suddenly started to get bigger.

Or he started to get smaller.

The next thing he knew, he was a five-inch James, standing in front of a three-inch Lily. Nothing other than them had shrunk - James guessd the stupid potion only worked on humans, whatever they'd created. Or he'd created.

He looked down at himself and shrugged. "Hm. Could use this for a prank - " he cut off, and was horrified to find his voice was at least two octaves higher than it should've been.

Lily started to laugh condescendingly, but then found she too had a gratingly high voice.

"Oh, no," she gasped, then focused her furious gaze on him. "_James - POTTER_ - "

"Oh, dear, this _is _peculiar."

They both looked up to find Slughorn towering over them, just out of reach of the hazardous potion. The students had either taken refuge on their desks or had retired to the other side of the room, where it was safe.

"Professor, _help us_!" Lily screeched, and James covered his ears against her squeaky voice.

She glared at him.

"Yes, yes, my dears, I will fix you - just, come onto my hand here."

Slughorn held out his hand and Lily and James scrambled onto it, knocking each other over in the process. Lily stayed seated with her chin in her hand and James stayed standing, his hands on his hips as he pursed his lips.

"This is _completely_ your fault." Lily commented sourly as Slughorn raised them.

James rolled his eyes. "Lily, you're being melodramatic. Slughorn will help us get back to normal in no time."

She just glared. James caught the eye of the other three Marauders, who were laughing so hard they were bent over, and James saluted them respectively, which made them laugh harder.

"Now, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, step off on here." Slughorn ordered, lowering them onto the front desk. James hopped off easily, then turned to offer Lily his hand, but found she was already sliding off the other side with a defiant look on her face. He rolled his eyes again.

They stood side by side with their arms crossed over their chests. James glanced at her.

"Hey, the upside is, you're still lookin' good, Evans." he said, winking at her.

She made annoyed noise and took a step away from him.

Suddenly, James felt like he had been put in a blender, everything around him seeming to spin a hundred miles an hour, the colors mushing together into one confusing, twisted one -

And it was back to normal, him at his own size, standing on the front desk. Then, his eyes focused on Lily just as she stumbled into him, and he caught her. He smirked as she looked up at him in surprise.

"Clumsy. I can handle that." he noted lightly.

She grimaced and pushed off him. "You're impossible, Potter. You're also an idiot and a daft nitwit, if you _really_ want to know what I think of you. And if that doesn't convince you enough that I'm _not interested_, I'll remind you one more time," she ranted furiously, and leaned toward him, glowering. "I _despise_ you."

Then she slapped him right across the face, leaving James stunned. She jumped off the desk and stalked out of the room, Dorcas and Emmeline soon rushing after her. James looked after her with raised eyebrows and his mouth gaping. He was pretty sure everyone was.

Finally, Slughorn shook out of his reverie and cleared his throat. "Right, er, class dismissed, everybody!"

James hesitated for a moment before shrugging, hopping off the desk with a grin tugging at his lips. "I still fancy her."


	49. The Turning Point

_A/N: Smile. You're super-mega-foxy-awesome-hot. Just thought you should know. :)_

_ Happy reading!_

**The Turning Point**

_**May 20, 1976**_

"_But what you don't understand is I'd catch a grenade for you, throw my hand on a blade for you, I'd jump in front of a train for you, I'd do anything for you - I would go through all this pain, take a bullet straight through my brain - yes, I would die for you, baby. . . ._"

- Bruno Mars

The last week of school was hectic for Lily Evans. Though exams were finished, she still had her prefect duties and she also tutored the younger students in preparation for the next year. She was also having meetings with McGonagall about the pro's and con's of her possible future careers.

Yes, life was seemingly busy for Lily Evans.

That is, until James' mother died. Everything seemed to stop - and Lily didn't even know her. What made her come to screeching halt that day was the _look_ on James' face. Professor McGonagall had entered the common room with a grim look on her face, and asked James to talk with her outside. It was very unusual for the professor to come into the common room, even to announce some punishment for a prank James pulled. Everyone was immediately wary, talking of the war. But James parents were pureblood, everyone whispered, You-Know-Who wouldn't have murdered them. Because if that was the case, not just Muggle-borns or half-bloods were in trouble - everyone was.

However, that was not the case. James' mother had died of a sudden heart attack. It seemed such a simple thing in comparison to all the gruesome murders of the war - which made it that much more devastating.

Lily Evans had seen James' many faces and expressions. She'd even seen him sad or mad, which was abnormal for him - but she'd never seen him expressionless. Which is exactly what he was when he'd walked back into the common room and retreated to his dormitory.

Remus had later filled her in that he was to leave after the school year was over - James' father wouldn't have it another way. The unusual thing was, James didn't put up a fight like Lily knew he wanted to. It was like he'd shut down.

That's why, on the last day of school, Lily finally approached him. She figured the more important people in James' life had already paid their respects to him, so she took that moment to step forward.

It worked out rather well, all things considered. She'd somehow ended up alone with him in the common room - they both were the last to descend the stairs, their luggage trailing behind them. Lily was actually late only because she'd lost her copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ - which she luckily found - but she knew James was late for a different reason from the red rimming his eyes.

She caught his gaze from across the common room, and he kept it for an even moment before walked towards the portrait hole.

_Come on, Lily, this is your chance. Don't be a prat,_ she thought to herself.

"James."

It came out as a whisper. Just before he'd pushed through the portrait hole, he turned to her slowly. She swallowed and studied him empathetically - his bloodshot eyes and tear-stained pink cheeks. His whole stature screamed that he had given up, and it killed Lily to see him, once so full of life, become so defeated.

She didn't say anything more, but left her trunk behind as she rushed over to him and wrapped him in her arms. She held his head against her shoulder, surprising herself when emotion almost overcame her and she had to surpress tears. It was a while before James responded, but he eventually wrapped his arms around her waist in return.

She knew the last thing that was on James' mind was romance - which made the embrace that much more special, to both of them.

"I'm sorry, James." she whispered against his shoulder, which was the first time she ever called him by his first name in all seriousness.

"I'll be okay." he replied quietly, pulling away from her.

"If there's anything I can do . . . " she trailed off, knowing there was absolutely _nothing _she could do.

He nodded. "Thanks, Lily."

The portrait door opened then, and Sirius poked his head through. Surprisingly, he didn't commment on them alone together. Lily knew that James' mother was the kind of mother Sirius never had - and her death wreaked on him almost as much as James. Sirius did pause in surprise, though, at the two of them and looked over them both before gesturing to James.

"C'mon. We've got to go." he murmured.

James nodded and gave Lily one last half-hearted encouraging smile - which really wasn't encouraging at all - before he grabbed his trunk and left. Lily stood there long after the portrait hole closed again, not feeling any desire to move. She wasn't quite sure why, and knew she had to hurry if she wanted to make the train, but didn't end up leaving for a while.

Finally, she slowly grabbed her luggage and walked calmly out of the common room.

Not until many years later would James and Lily speak of his mothers death again. Not until many years later would James reveal how much Lily being there for him meant. Not until many years later would both realize that that was the turning point in their relationship, and that losing the one thing that James loved most brought him together with another he would love more than anything.


	50. I Knew It

**I Knew It**

_**October 7, 1979**_

Lily Evans was walking home wearily. She'd just came from Dorcas', where she'd sat and patiently listened to her mope over Sirius, like a good friend should do. Lily offered to stay the night, but Dorcas had insisted she go home to James. He was probably worried sick, her being outside alone at night. She pondered on what she would do the next day, and what food she needed at the grocery store. Anything, really, than think about the war, which consumed over half her life.

Eggs. They needed eggs and milk and -

Then, she heard soemthing behind her. A shuffle of footstpes that did not want to be heard. She cursed herself when she realized she'd left her wand at Dorcas', sitting on the coffee table. How could she be so stupid?

She figured she still had hope. If the person wanted her dead, they'd have already killed her by now. Maybe they wanted something with her, which would give her more time to devise a plan. . . .

Step. Step. Step. Step.

Nope. No time for devising a plan.

She swallowed hard when she felt the person almost upon her and whirled aorund, doing the first thing that came to her mind. She punched the darkened figure in the nose, and then, when they doubled over, she kneed them in the stomach, hard. But then they cried out in a voice she knew all too well.

"_Dammit_, Lily!" James exclaimed, clutching his nose and stomach at the same time, "What the _fuck _was that for?"

"Oh, God!" she gasped, "Oh, James, I'm so sorry! You shouldn't have snuck up on me!"

"Is that what you do to everyone who touches you on the street?"

"It's midnight in the middle of the _war_, James! What did you expect?"

"Certainly not _that_!" he exclaimed, finally straightening.

She frowned. "I'm not completely _helpless_ without my wand, _James_, I know how to defend myself."

He gave her a wide-eyed stare. "_I realize that now_."

She scowled and put her hands on her hips. "Stop giving me that tone!"

"Well, I'm sorry if I'm a little cranky after being beaten down by a crazy, paranoid woman."

Lily glowered at him silently.

"Oh, for the love of - "

"James, I don't even want to hear it."

She started to walk away, but then stopped halfway to the crosswalk.

"Were you following me?" she asked breathlessly.

"I was trying to look for you - I was _going _to tell you that Moody needs you to do the mission tomorrow. He wanted you to know as soon as possible."

Lily frowned, her anger with James momentarily forgotten. "Yeah, I can do that, I suppose," she replied, then said half-sarcastically, "Care to protect me from anymore would-be Death Eaters sneaking up on me?"

"Like your poor, defenseless boyfriend?" he pouted.

She smirked slightly at that. "Stop pouting. Come on."

She started walking, but he didn't follow. She turned and saw he was still standing there helplessly, looking at her wearing a huge pout and sporting enormous puppy dog eyes. She glared at him.

"Don't even do this right now."

His only response was to pout deeper, and she glared harder. He widened his eyes and she glared so hard she was sure she could make even the toughest man cringe, but James wasn't at his toughest right now - he was at his 'I'm-a-lost-kitty-on-the-side-of-the-road-being-kicked-around-in-the-rain'.

She finally sighed and gave up, rushing forward to hug him. "I'm sorry." she murmured into his shirt.

She felt his chest vibrate as he laughed incredulously. "Ha-ha!" he exclaimed in victory, "All I have to do is widen my eyes at you and I get whatever I want!"

Instead of arguing, Lily wrinkled her nose, knowing this was true. She looked up at him and scoured her mind for something to throw back at him. She scowled and started messing with his completely helpless black hair, which was literally sticking up everywhere.

"Fix your hair. You look like you've been struck by lightning."

He rolled his eyes. "We've been over this many times. It won't budge - I've tried on countless occassions. And I refuse to gel it. The amount of gel a man has in his hair equals how much of a dick he is."

She laughed loudly before kissing him. "I like your hair the way it is anyway." she admitted as they started walking down the street hand in hand.

He smirked at her triumphantly. "I knew it."


	51. I Have Made Mistakes Today

_A/N: So, after this one, there will be four more. :) So, yes. Just wanted to let you know. Oh, and I _love_ this song, and, if you have the time, youtube it! Especially if you like piano, the guy's amazing and his voice is awesome. Anyway._

_ Happy reading!_

**I Have Made Mistakes Today**

_**December 25, 1977**_

__"_I hope I see you soon, because you're fond of me, and I am fond of you - these days I guess that's all it takes - that and just a few mistakes, and I have made mistakes, yes, I have made mistakes today. . . . Just tell me what you wat for me to say. . . ._"

- Wakey Wakey

Sirius and Dorcas had somehow, miraculously, slipped away from their friends momentarily, who were out on the grounds having a snowball fight. (Dorcas was the only one Sirius would miss a snowball fight for.) Her and Sirius were sitting in front of the fire, curled up on the couch. Dorcas had her head rested on his chest and he had his arm around her, lightly running his fingers through her hair absentmindedly. His mind was actually on something else - the first time Sirius had started to like Dorcas. He figured him and Dorcas' relationship resembled James and Lily's, except . . . he didn't have a burning obssession with her and she didn't have a burning hatred for him. James would kill him if he ever said that, and _maybe_ he was exaggerating a bit, but that what friends did. Only the best, of course. Teasing is a necessity in the 'best friend' role that Sirius did not take for granted.

But Sirius quickly veered his mind back to that moment between him and Dorcas - well, it was hardly a _moment_, but still . . .

"Dorcas?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah?" she mumbled.

"When did you first start to fancy me?" he asked.

She lifted her head to look at him and frowned thoughtfully. "I always kind of liked you, Sirius. Ever since you turned all of Snape's clothing a bright purple. I never liked how much time Lily spent with the creep, so that kind of caught my attention, I suppose."

He chuckled, leaning his head against the back of the couch. "And girls always say that we're immature. I always knew deep down you guys were, too."

She snorted and shrugged, putting her head back down on his chest. He sighed.

"Don't you want to know when I first started liking you?"

She turned her head to him. "Yeah, I reckon I do."

_**December 15, 1975**_

Sirius sat huddled in a corner of a deserted hallway on one of the fifth floor corridors, staring at the opposite wall like a dead man. He shouldn't even care about this. He wasn't a part of it. He ignored them, it didn't . . . he didn't have to be one of them.

But they were his family - he lived with them, he witnessed their cruelty, and there was nothing a fifteen year old boy could do about it. They were Death Eaters - servants of a sick-minded murderer. But there was nothing he could do about it except to seclude himself from it for right now. So Sirius, instead of attempting and failing to be noble, he hid out in his bedroom, reading up on schoolwork and trying to pretend like he was a part of a normal family.

Maybe Sirius should just move out. He was fifteen, after all - not at all an adult yet, but close, especially after all he'd seen. . . .

He had always despised his brother, yes - but Sirius, for some naive reason, had always hoped deep down, that they would fight off the Death Eater tradition within the Black family together. So, yeah, you could say he was just a little shocked when he caught wind of his older brother joining the ranks of Death Eaters, at such a young age. Yes, Sirius had lost that hope of them banding together for the greater good more and more as the years went by - he should've realized it from the very beginning, of course, but he supposed his weak spot was for the people he loved. But he didn't love Regulus, and certainly not the rest of his family, anymore. It was time to move on.

At this thought, tears started to slip down his face, and he thanked Merlin no one - especially the Marauders - were there to see him. He let them fall, a deep void opening in his chest - like all the things that happened in his life would be sucked into it, and then disppear into nothingness. Nothing could affect him now. He had no family, no secure person to lean on. James wasn't family, neither was Remus, nor was Peter - although he knew it was a stupid thought. They'd been like brothers from the beginning.

Footsteps.

He cursed quietly and struggled to a stand, rubbing his face with his sleeve hastily.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

Dorcas Meadowes. Of _course_ it was a pretty, smart girl like her to see him in this distressed state. He took a deep breath and started walking right as she turned the corner and saw him. She frowned and took him in suspiciously.

"Were you going to play a prank on me?"

"No." he replied simply. He really wasn't in the mood to tease anyone.

She took a closer look at him and then her eyebrows shot up. "You've been crying." she stated.

He swallowed, giving her a tight smile. "Nope. Of course I haven't. Well, this has been - "

"Sirius, are you alright?" she asked, her eyes starting to worry.

"Fine." he muttered, walking past her.

He thought he'd get away safely when her voice called out to him again.

"So you usually just hang around in deserted corridors? I didn't that was you style."

He turned slowly, raising his eyebrow. "No? Well, now you do."

He started to walk again, but she caught up with him. "You know, you can't just leave me hanging after that."

"Actually, I really can." he said bitterly.

She scowled. "What, was it a prank gone bad? Someone finally get back at you after all your bullying?"

He stopped and glared at her. She stopped, too, impatiently putting her hands on her hips.

"Look, Meadowes, whether it was something stupid like that or not, it's really none of your business," he said in a hard voice, and he paused, then grinned the cockiest grin he could muster. "And it was a girl problem, if you must know. The two of them found out I was dating the other as well."

She shook her head. "I reckon I should've guessed as much coming from you. Whatever, Sirius, I was only going to try and help you." she sighed, then turned and started to walk away. He stared after her, a mindless, irrationnal rage suddenly consuming him for no apparent reason.

"Meadowes!" he yelled after her and she turned, her expression blank. "You don't know me. You don't even care about me, so don't pretend you do."

She studied him evenly. "What would make you think that, Sirius?"

Beofre he could answer, she was already walking down the corriror. The rage that had been undeniable moments before diminished, and he stood there, feeling completely stupid as he frowned after her. He suddenly felt the need to prove himself to her, which he knew was always an extremely stupid thing to do, no matter what the case. He had a mini-inner battle with himself, which he found he had often, and finally grumbled to himself, "You sodding idiot," then called out, "Meadowes! Wait up!"

She turned, her eyebrows raised. He stalked up to her and pointed at her, starting to accuse her of being nosy and inconsiderate and - and other such things, but he just let out the breath dejectedly and swallowed hard.

"I didn't really think it was about the girls, Sirius. You don't have to tell me what it really is." she said quietly, uneasy.

He looked up at her vulnerably, and told her anyway.

They ended up sitting up against the stone wall as Sirius told his story and vented to her, not really knowing why, and realizing he should've just kept to himself - let her believe Sirius Black really was a heartless douche bag. Suppose it was the right place and the right time, but Sirius just couldn't hold it in anymore.

When he finished, she was studying him thoughtfully. Then, she nodded.

"Thank you for telling me." she simply said.

"That's all? That's all your going to say?" he asked, dumbfounded, as she stood and fixed her clothes.

"What did you want me to say?" she asked, looking down expectantly at him.

"Um - _sorry_, maybe? Or _wow, that's terrible, Sirius_." he suggested sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes and held out a hand for him. "Its not that bad, Sirius. You could have it worse. They could be forcing you to join the Death Eaters. Just ignore them." she said as she helped pull him up.

He snorted. "Yeah, well, better said than done."

She sighed. "Look, I _am_ sorry. No one deserves that."

He shrugged. "Yeah, well . . . " he trailed off, not really knowing what to say.

"Well, er, I'm - I'm gonna go," she said gesturing behind her. "I've got Defense Againast the Dark Arts in a few minutes, so . . . "

"Oh, yeah, me, too - me, too." Sirius said hastily.

"See you around, Sirius. Your secret's safe with me," she promised, giving him one last look before turning the corner and walking down the staircase.

Sirius soon followed, but not after he accepted the fact that he had a new-found interest in Dorcas Meadowes.

_**December 25, 1977**_

"_That_ was when you started to fancy me?" she scoffed, "I was being such a . . . such a - "

"Sassy Sally? Yeah, I know," he said casually, and she rolled her eyes. "I dunno why, but it just caught my attention."

She shook her head, smiling. "You're weird," she grumbled, trying to turn her head away, but he caught her lips with his before she could. "What was that for?" she muttered, chuckling.

He grinned and leaned back again. "For bein' a Sassy Sally." he said, winking.

"You're so weird." she said, but laughed despite herself.


	52. Rewind

_A/N: Oh, goodness! Only 3 more! I'm sorry if I've let you down by not writing more, but all stories must come to end. :( I wrote James and Lily's wedding a bit differently, I suppose. I'm sorry if you wanted to hear the vows . . . but I didn't include them. :/ _

_ Anyway, I hope you like it either way. :) Happy reading, you guys are super-mega-foxy-awesome-hot!_

**Rewind**

_**September 4, 1980**_

_"Pickin' up the pieces of the mess you went and left, and I'm dealin' with dillema's in my not-so-stressful life. . . .and I'm drinkin' stronger spirits and made my home here on the floor, and I'm losin' all ambition and goes. . . .And I'm goin' all out, and I'm thinkin' you're just as bad. . . . No, I'm not sleepin' at night, but I'm going from bar to bar - why can't we just rewind?_"

- Paolo Nutini

Lily was dead. Lily was dead and there was nothing James could do about it. The curse had hit her square in the chest during the fight, there was no point denying it. Everyone assured him there was still hope, but James figured he should just accept it now instead of having to cope later. So there he was, sitting in a shady pub, his head in his hand, as he fingered his drink. This was his way of coping 'now'. 'Later' would've been much worse, so he reckoned he should be grateful for his decision for dealing with it right then. . . .

He still remembered everything, and he knew he'd never forget, no matter what happened. Every one of Lily's habits, her articulate way of speaking, her expression when she'd try to fight a smile at one of his jokes, her determined expression when dueling, the way she wrinkled her nose when she laughed . . . everything.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to backtrack through the maze of memories, anything to get away from the present. . . .

_"James, what is tha - " Lily cut off and her eyes widened._

_ The simple, glittering diamond ring reflected off the whiteness around them as he knealt down in front of her, his knee soaking in the wet snow. He didn't really know why he chose that moment - it had been a winged sort of thing. He had bought the ring long ago - right about the time she agreed to go out with him - and he put in his pocket on certain days, hoping he'd find the courage to finally propose. Today was one of those days. And for some miraculous, possibly idiotic reason, he decided them outside in the snow, alone together, was the right moment. They'd just been out for a walk, nothing special, so James didn't understand _why_ he'd decided right then. He wanted to slap himself over and over as he looked up at her shocked expression._

_ "Will you marry me?" he asked quietly, words that he honestly never thought he would say._

This is not how Sirius said it would go_, he thought to himself worriedly, _Dear God, shes going to say no. She's going to say -

_ Then, she nodded vigorously, and it took a moment before James understood. Then, he grinned the widest grin he thought he'd ever grinned and, before he could fully stand, she threw herself onto him, and they fell to the ground, laughing. And then he kissed her, his soon-to-be wife. . . ._

James cradled his head, pulling his hair. He could only imagine what Lily would say. Probably that he looked like he'd been electricuted - that's what she always said . . .

_ "You nervous?"_

_ James turned and saw Sirius, his best man, there, leaning against the doorframe and grinning. He wore a traditional black suit, and James gulped, turning back to his own reflection, where he could see Sirius in the background._

_ "Nope," he forced out with a smile. "I've been ready for this day since I met her, Padfoot. You know that."_

_ "Why do you look so green, then?" he asked, holding back laughter._

_ James glared at him in the relfection, but had to silently agree with him. He did look a bit green._

_ "Because I'm just so excited." he breathed, swallowing._

_ "Merlin's pants, stop acting like you're not scared, you twat," Sirius demanded, rolling his eyes as he walked up beside his friend. He smiled lightly and clamped him on the shoulder. "You should be nervous. She might still walk out."_

_ James glared exasperatedly._

_ "Right. Not funny," he muttered, then said, "Listen, mate, she's about as nuts for you as you are for her, and you're completely daft if you haven't realized it yet. She's not going anywhere, ever. You will have little Potter's running around in no time, and have a nice little family. Including me, living in your basement." he added, grinning._

_ James rolled his eyes, but had to admit Sirius' little speech eased him a bit. "It's the roof for you, wanker."_

_ "Works for me," he said and smiled, shrugging. Then he continued, "Anyway, it's time to sell your soul. C'mon."_

_ "I'm not selling my soul, git." James muttered, follwing Sirius out to where the ceremony would be held._

_ Sirius grinned, swinging the door open. "Knock 'em dead, Jamesy. You look simply radiant."_

_ James gave his best friend an exasperated look. "You're a twat."_

_ "You realize those are the last words you're going to say to me before you're married?"_

_ "Yep. I have no regrets."_

_ "Well, then. You're a twat as well."_

_ When James had taken his place at the alter, his eyes scanned the guests before him. He spotted Emmeline and Dorcas holding hands excitedly in the second row, and Dorcas was gesturing to Sirius to fix his collar. James glanced at him to see him roll his eyes and fix it irritably. He also caught Remus' eye, who winked jokingly, and nodded encouragingly. Then, he witnessed him and Emmeline share a glance and a smile. He looked at Peter, too, who was fidgetting and, when he saw James looking, he stopped and smiled half-heartedly. _

_ James smiled back and looked back at the aisle. Shouldn't Lily be here by now? Did she really leave? James wouldn't be surprised. She hated him for years, after all. He swallowed and attempted to loosen his collar. Sirius kicked him in the leg and James looked back to see Sirius giving him a 'you're-making-yourself-look-like-an-idiot' look, which he knew all too well. Then, he heard the 'aww's' of the guests and looked over to see Lily walked down the aisle. She had no one to walk with her, which saddened James, but Lily didn't seem to mind - her eyes were on him. James, in turn, only had eyes for Lily. He knew he was being stupid to think she'd leave him before. He really was a twat._

_ Then, as she stepped up on the alter with him, she put her lips to his ear and murmured for old times sake, "You look like you've been electricuted."_

"James."

_James grinned back and shook his head as she stepped back and they stood, grasping each others hands._

"James. Potter."

_James wasn't really listening to the wizard as he ran through the traditional wedding speech. He winked at Lily and mouthed subtly, "I love you."_

"James! Prongs!"

_She smiled and mouthed back, "I love you, too."_

"HEY! Twat!"

James was shaken out of his reverie blearily and he squinted up at the disturbance.

"Ah, I knew he'd respond to his true name. 'Twat'."

"What do you want?" James mumbled, annoyed at being taken out of his memories, where everyone was happy.

"What the fuck are you doing? C'mon, get a hold of yourself. It took us ages to find you."

Sirius. James groaned. It was about Lily. Here it was, they were about to tell him she was gone forever.

"I don't want to hear it. Whatever you have to say, I don't want to know." he muttered, putting his head into the cacoon of his folded arms.

"Alright, Prongs, you've got to get up. It's good news."

Remus. Damn - together they could drag him out of here whether he resisted or not.

But he still stayed rooted to the spot. What good news could they possibly have? Surely not . . . ? Lily couldn't - ?

"Lily's alive and well, you dimwit, no need to live the rest of your life as a bum anymore." Sirius sighed irritably.

James lifted his face and blinked. "Huh?"

"Yes, you can rule out holing up at my place for the rest of your miserable life without your true love." Sirius mocked, pulling James to his feet.

"You're really insensitive, you know that?" James grumbled, allowing Sirius to drag him out of the pub, Remus following behind.

"Yeah, I've been told." Sirius said.

"Sirius, be easy on him. He looks awful."

"Thank you very much, Remus." James said.

"No problem, buddy."

"C'mon, you want to see Lily or not?" Sirius asked impatiently.

"Yes." James answered, suddenly fully aware of everything.

Remus rolled his eyes. "And now he's responding."

"Can you Apparate? Or did you go overboard with the firewhiskey again?" Sirius asked.

"I'm fine." James replied irritably.

"Let's go then. She's already at the house. They let her go and all that while you were bumming around." Sirus said.

James scowled. "I'm out of my bum mode, you don't have to snape me out of it with your _rude_ comments anymore." he sniffed.

Sirius grinned. "Just making sure."

Then, they Apparated into him and Lily's little house in Godric's Hollow, landing in the living room. Lily was sitting on the couch, watching TV, which the three boys had appeared in front of. She yelped and the bowl of chips she'd been munching on flew to the floor. She stared at them, frozen in shock for a moment, before James rushed over to her and scooped her up in his arms.

"Lily." he breathed, closing his eyes.

He heard her laugh lightly. "Hi, James."

He stroked her hair and held her tightly against him, letting himself relish in the fact she was _here_ and _alive_.

"I'm fine," she laughed, "you worry too much."

He set her down on the couch and sat beside her. He noticed Sirius and Remus still there, smirking at them.

"Can you explain to me why you're still here?" James asked impatiently, "I'd like to be with my wife _alone_, if you understand."

"James!" Lily exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"No, no, we want to be here when you hear the news." Remus explained, grinning.

"What? What news?" James frowned, looking to Lily, who was now smiling tentatively.

"Well, while the doctors were running tests on me, they . . . they found something. James . . . I'm pregnant."

James sat there, frozen for a moment.

Then, he jumped up and threw his arms in the air, letting out a long-winded yell. "YEEEES! Elevendork, Sirius, Elevendork!" James yelled, laughing hysterically.

Sirius winked, leaning against the TV hutch. "It's unisex."


	53. The Smile

_**September 1, 1977**_

"James!" an angry voice called out.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were making their way to the carriages up to the castle, joking around, when his name was called. He sighed as he recognized the voice and turned exasperately to see Lily glowering at him, pointing to the sheepish-looking first years.

"Don't wait up." James grumbled as he made his way over to them, ignoring his friend's snickers from behind him.

"Take these first years down to Hagrid at the lake. I'll take the ones who get lost." she muttered, her eyes following a tiny first-year boy who was looking around wonderously, tripping over tree roots as he went in the complete wrong direction.

He didn't get a chance to reply as she hurried over to the tiny boy, ushering him over to the rest of the little rascals.

"Alright, then, follow me!" James ordered, waving his hand as he headed toward the lake.

Hagrid's huge, bulky figure was to be seen in the distance, and he was tempted to tell them it was a mountain troll, but thought better of it, Lily flashing through his mind.

"Here're the youngsters, Hagrid."

James grinned at him, urging the first-years toward the boats. They stared wide-eyed at Hagrid, anxious, but headed towards the boats, none the less.

Hagrid grinned broadly back at him. "How're yeh, James? Not gettin' into too much trouble, are yeh?"

"Ah, don't count on it, Hagrid." chuckled James.

Hagrid laughed heartily, making a couple first-years glance over at him nervously. "Same old, same old fer yeh, righ'? Well, get on up to the castle, James, the feast should be startin' soon."

"Right. See you later, Hagrid."

"Bye! All righ', four to a boat, first years. . . ."

"There's a full moon tomorrow night." Sirius said lightly as the Marauder's made our way up the staircase to the Gryffindor common room.

Remus's head whipped over to look at him, glaring. "Not here, Sirius!"

"Relax, Moony," Sirius scoffed, "No one knows what we're talking about."

"Yes, well, I'm fully aware." Remus hissed back.

"Don't worry, it won't be a problem," James assured them, rumpling his hair.

"You still remember what you have to do, Peter?" Sirius checked.

Peter nodded his head vigerously. "Yes."

"Good, mate."

"Pheonix feathers." Remus recited when they made it to the Fat Lady.

"Welcome back, boys." the Fat Lady said before swinging open.

"Well, how about a game of Wizarding Chess, James?" Sirius asked as they made thier way into the half-full Gryffindor common room.

"Alright with me." James murmured, his eyes finding Lily sitting in one of the arm chairs with Dorcas and Emmeline next to her.

Sirius followed his gaze, then grinned, sidling up to the pair with his hands in his pockets. "Well, well, if it isn't the Head Girl and her lovely best friend."

James followed closely behind while Remus and Peter backed off and sat by the opposite window, Remus rolling his eyes exasperately. The girls looked up, startled. Dorcas raised an eyebrow, Emmeline looked up innocently and Lily glared.

"What do you want?" Lily asked irritably.

"Just came to congratulate you on your new title, that's all," Sirius shrugged, "James is certainly excited to share a dormitory with you."

James aimed a kick at his leg while keeping innocent eye contact with an angry Lily. "What Sirius is trying to say is that I'm excited to share the responsibility of this great honor with you." James corrected, nodding.

She glared. "Well, that's wonderful, but you interrupted our conversation, so if you could just - "

"What were you talking about?" Sirius asked, and James knew it was just to irk Lily.

Sirius laid his forearms on the back of the couch, beside Dorcas and Emmeline, and James leaned aginst Lily's armchair. Lily gaped at Sirius and was about to either slap him or insult him excessively - James wasn't sure which - when Dorcas actually answered.

"The war." she said simply, looking up at him challengingly.

Sirius immediately sobered up. "Oh. Have you been affected?" he asked hesitantly, looking between the two girls.

"No." they murmured.

"We were just talking about the Order, too. Lily wants to join after we graduate." Emmeline explained.

Lily's head snapped up to give her friend a withering glare - which she was quite good at, he realized. He was rather used to those general type of looks from Lily.

James looked down at her in surprise. "You want to join the Order?"

Lily scowled. "Why do you look so surprised?"

"You just don't - I mean, I wouldn't have guessed it, that's all." he muttered lamely.

"You wouldn't have guessed that I would actually like to take action in something like this." she corrected him.

James grimaced. "I - never said that." he replied lamely.

She scoffed, flipping open one of her books. "Whatever, Potter."

James gave Sirius an exasperated glance and he snorted.

"I heard Dumbledore started it." Emmeline offered.

"I wouldn't doubt it." James murmured.

"Hey! You two gits coming back over here or what?" Remus called, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Remus, we're not hitting on your girlfriend!" Sirius said back, making several people who had overheard either roll their eyes or chuckle.

"Sirius, I do _not _wear - whatever." Remus grumbled, shaking his head at his friend.

Sirius and James turned back to the girls. "It's hard to be so popular." he said in mock-weariness.

Lily scoffed. "Yes, well, you can go be popular somewhere else. You don't need to grace us with your presence, I assure you." she muttered.

"Lily." Emmeline warned, frowning.

Lily sighed, but said nothing more. Sirius winked at Dorcas before straightening.

"Well, I guess we should be getting back to Remus before he gets especially angsty. See you later, ladies."

James raised an eyebrow at Lily, and, when she looked up, he grinned mischieviously before sauntering over to his friends.

**Lily**

Lily hadn't wanted to start the new year off fighting with James, after what happened last year, but - it just came naturally, and after she'd yelled at him for the first time, it was like everything was back to the way it was. And she didn't want it that way anymore. She wanted to be James' friend.

And, as he loped off to his friends, she stared at him as he left, and as he played Wizard Chess. And when he caught her staring in a moment where he was concentrated on his next move, he did a double take, and then smiled. He didn't wink or smirk - he smiled. And Lily smiled back.


	54. Bittersweet

_ A/N: I don't know what urged me to write this as the second to last chapter, but I think I like how it turned out. It's not predictable, I'll tell you that. At least, I don't think so. So, I'm sorry if you're expecting some relationship romance/angst, because this one's a bit different. . . . _

_ Happy reading!_

**Bittersweet**

Lily Evans stood in front of the mirror in her wedding dress, smiling. She gently ran her hands over the soft silk fabric, wondering what James was doing in his own room. . . . She was going to be married to him in less than an hour. The very thought of it made her want to laugh uncontrollably. She smiled to herself -

The door opened. Lily turned and saw the very last person she expected to see - Severus Snape.

Lily gasped and ran over to the table where her wand lay. Shge gasped it and held it by her side, not having the guts or the heart to point it at him. She was suddenly breathing heavily as she stared at her old friend - his dark eyes, his slightly greasy hair and black clothes. But he looked too serious, too . . . empty. He was never joyful, of course not, but he had had a thirst for intelligence, for learning whatever he could. It had brought a light to his eyes that just wasn't there as he stared evenly at her. But she could see the flash of hurt as she glared warily at him.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" Lily gasped.

"Lily, I'm not going to hurt you," he said quietly, taking a step toward her, but she stepped back. He sighed, "I just wanted to see you one last time."

"I'm not _dying_, Severus," she snapped, "I'm getting married. And if you're here to convince me not to do so, you can just leave."

He stayed quiet.

"But if you're here to be with me," she said quietly, her expression softening slightly, "I'm glad you came."

Severus' face darkened. "It was not my intention to be present at the wedding of my childhood friend and my arch nemesis."

Lily swallowed, her expression hardening again. "Then what was your intention, Severus? Are you going to kill me? Kidnap me? Force me to switch sides?"

He flinched visibly. "No, Lily . . . no," he whispered, taking a step forward once again. She didn't move - his expression had gotten her attention. It was like he had stripped all of his cold decor and had become the Severus she once knew. He took her hands in his. "I'm just here to tell you . . . to tell you . . . I - "

"Lily?" came a voice from the other side of the door - Dorcas, who was her maid of honor. She knocked. "Are you almost ready? James is heading out."

"Yeah, Dorcas, just give me a minute." she said back, her throat feeling tight.

She looked back to Severus, whose expression had become unbearably pained. He let go of her hands and backed up, as if she was a frightening image.

"What? Severus, what were you going to say?" she asked gently. It killed her that she would never be able to be cruel to him, as she should be. After all he'd done to innocent people, after what he'd done to James. . . .

"I just wanted to tell you," he breathed, then paused. Then, he continued, "I've changed. I'm not your friend anymore. I'm a servant of the Dark Lord, and I don't want anything more to do with you."

Lily stared at him, shocked. She knew that wasn't what he was going to say. It couldn't have been. . . .

But she felt freed somehow. Freed of worrying about him, of wondering if he was killing or not, because he was still her friend. He was still her friend. But she wasn't his.

And it was time she accepted that, and moved on.

"Fine," Lily finally said. "If that's how you feel, we have nothing more to discuss."

She then brushed past him and walked out the door, her head down. She picked up her flowers from the table and stared at them. She needn't worry about Severus anymore. She was freed of that . . . that burden. They were different people now.

Magic - the thing that had brought them together, was ultimately the reason they were torn apart.

And Lily walked down to the ceremony, her head high. Every step she took, she felt herself letting go of Severus, of that life she had with him. She would never fully let go of him - but she could let go of the friendship they'd had together.

And the moment she saw James, it was banished from her mind forever.

But Severus Snape would never let go of Lily, not anything about her. He would always feel the same way he did dince he first met her. So he snuck out to the ceremony and stood in the shadows, watching with dread as her and Potter said their vows and were married. It was a form of torture for him, and he supposed he deserved it after what he'd said to her.

He watched as Potter got to kiss her, and he forced himself not to look away. Although, soon, it was too much, and he turned away with one last whisper - the one ting he was going to say to her before she made this mistake . . .

"I'm in love with you, Lily."


	55. Green

_A/N: So, here it is. Thank you so much, to everyone who has stuck with this story until the end. I hope this fits your expectations, however high or low they may be._

_ Again, thank you! Thank you, thank you to everyone! For my Christmas present, leave me one last review, telling me bye-bye. :( (Sorry, I hate it when authors ask for reviews - you don't have to. Just a request. Haha.) _

_ Stick around, folks, I'll be writing more soon! School's killin' me right now, though, so it might not be for a while._

_ So, for the last time. . . . HAPPY READING! :D_

**Green**

"_Come stop your cryin', it'll be alright; just take my hand, hold it tight; I will protect you from all around you; I will be here, don't you cry - for one so small, you seem to strong; my arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm; this bond between us can't be broken; I will be here, don't you cry - 'cause you'll be in my heart . . . yes, you'll be in my heart - from this day on, now and forevermore. . . ."_

- Phil Collins

Green. The everlasting favorite thing James Potter loved about Lily Evans - the vibrant color of her eyes.

_James didn't know what had gotten into him. He knew he shouldn't have said it, and that it was stupid, and that she wasn't ready. And yet he found himself saying it anyway._

_ James and Lily would be found by the lake in a rather intimate position on the grass, a couple months before their life at Hogwarts was over. James was sitting closely to Lily, his hands on either side of her face, and she had her hands entertwined in his hair as they kissed each other deeply._

_ That was when it hit James, after a few minutes of this going on. He needed to say it, or it would keep eating him up inside. So he broke away from her and put his forehead against hers._

_ "Lily," he said, and found his voice was deeper and more serious than it usually was. Her eyes widened, as if she realized what he was about to say. "I lo - "_

_ "Oh, dear Merlin," she muttered, trying to squirm out of James' grip, "Sorry, James, I just remembered, I have to - "_

_ "Lily," James sighed._

_ " - study for Advanced Potions, and it just can't wait, so - "_

_ "_Lily,_" he said more forcefully, refusing to let her wiggle away from him._

_ " - I'm just going to go, because I can't - " she broke of, looking at him. "I can't."_

_ And he understood what she meant. But he - surprise, surprise - refused to listen to his conscience, which was usually the case._

_ "Lily," he said quietly, and this time she was stock still with wide eyes, staring at him. "I love you. Whether you're ready to hear it or not - I love you."_

_ He stared at her for a moment, into her deep green eyes that he loved so much, and, when he was sure she wouldn't say it back, he stood and started walking away. Not in angry manner, just accepting to let her have her space. _

_ "Hey, uh, James," she blurted, and James turned, his eyebrows raised. She was sitting with her legs folded beneath her, her hair splayed out over her shoulders. "I . . . I love you, too."_

_ James grinned._

Green. The color of the grass below them when Sirius and Dorcas sat in each others arms - the last he saw her alive.

_Sirius and Dorcas sat in the grass at one of the local parks in London, where they were free of the troubles and burdens of the war. It was simple - they weren't talking, just watching the children shrieking gleefully and accidently tripping on their shoelaces while the ditressed parents tried to catch them. Dorcas found this sweet in a way, while Sirius found it hilarious._

_ "Look at that one bloke trying to catch his kid - the one who's jumping off the slide." he chuckled, pointing to an especially mischeivious-looking black haired boy, who grinned at his wide-eyed father before he leaped off the playset, rolling onto the ground. His grin widened as he stood up, the father striding over and scolding him, "Joseph, what is the _matter _with you? Have you lost your mind? Come on, we're - "_

_ The boy ignored his father, climbing up on the playset, and away from his dad's prying hands, to do it again._

_ Dorcas snorted, leaning into Sirius' chest. "Yeah, reminds me of someone I know."_

_ "What, I'm the little boy and you're the father?" he guessed, snickering._

_ She rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not the _father_. That's more like McGonagall or someone. Maybe Filch. I'm more like that little girl over there, swinging. She looks innocent enough." she said, watching a little girl with blonde hair like hers, who was gently swinging by herself._

_ "Yeah, and Lily's that one over there reading her book." Sirius added._

_ Dorcas quirked her mouth to the side thoughtfully and scanned the playground. "Oh, there's Emmeline, the one flirting with the boy," she giggled, "And Remus is the one playing with the bugs. Peter's the little boy who looks lost over there."_

_ Sirius laughed and nodded to Jospeh, his little boy clone, who now was talking to another little boy. "Look, my twin has a friend now. That's James. Oh, look, they're trying to climb that little spiderweb dome thing. Ah, there goes James, falling off. But he's getting back on. Ah-hah! I was the first one up!"_

_ Dorcas snorted. "You're so mature. James is just as coordinated as you and you know it."_

_ "Shut it, Meadowes." he said, laughing despite himself._

_ But she wasn't paying attention anymore. She was watching as "her" little girl stopped swinging and stared at the boys climbing the dome. The blonde girl and Joseph made eye contact, and the girl blushed, looking away._

_ "Aw, look, she's shy." Sirius murmured, chuckling lightly._

_ "You're not so much." Dorcas smirked as Joseph hopped off the dome, heading toward the blonde girl with a slightl smile. The boy who was James rolled his eyes and started swinging his legs at the top of the dome, watching._

_ "Joseph! We are _leaving_!" Joseph's father had found him and started to drag him away by the collar from the girl when he was within a few steps of her. He protested angrily, but the father tugged on him nonetheless._

_ The girl frowned, and stood to say something, but then thought better of it, sitting back down. The boy who was James looked between the two, then jumped off the dome and went over to the girl._

_ "That's Joseph." he said just loud enough for Dorcas and Sirius to hear, pointing back to the boy being dragged away grudgingly._

_ "I noticed by the way his father screamed it." she snapped, eyeing the boy suspiciously._

_ Sirius snorted. "Fiesty."_

_ "Hey, watch it." she warned, becoming defensive of the little girl, which she found amusing._

_ "Well, he comes here every Monday, if you're interested," little boy James continued, "You can play with us if you want. I'm Darren."_

_ "I'm Sophie." she said after a pause._

_ "I know you like him. I'll try to get you two to hold hands." Darren offered, shrugging._

_ Sirius and Dorcas snickered._

_ Sophie blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about."_

_ "Yeah, sure," Darren smirked, then said, "Come on, let's go play tag with the guy playing with the bugs."_

_ Sophie shrugged. "Okay."_

_ And they went over to the Bug Boy, invited him to play tag, and then they started running around playing, carefree._

_ "Aw," Sirius cooed, "I wish we could see if they make a little couple."_

_ "We can come every Monday and see what happens." Dorcas offered, turning her head to smile at him._

_ Sirius wiggled his eyebrows. "Seems like a love story's a-brewin'."_

_ Dorcas smiled and kissed him. "Yes, it does."_

Green. The color of the dress Emmeline was wearing when Remus first told her he loved her.

_Emmeline and Remus sat together at a table at the Three Broomsticks, and Remus had been trying _all night_ to try and tell her how he felt, but they kept on getting interrupted by something or other. And it was really starting to get on his nerves._

_ "Emmeline, there's something I need to tell you," Remus said, grabbing her hands when he thought the coast was clear, "We've been dating for a long time, and I just wanted - "_

_ "Another round?" Madam Georgina asked, coming around with a tray._

_ Remus smiled tightly. "By all means."_

_ Madam Gerogina smiled uneasily at the look on the seventeen year olds face and quickly set the drinks down before scurrying away._

_ Remus sighed, looking back to an expectant Emmeline. "Like I was saying. I just wanted to let you know that I - "_

_ "Remus, m'boy!"_

_ Merlin. Remus knew that voice anywhere._

_ Siruis and James came barrelling through the tables, grinning. When they caught sight of Emmeline, they both grinned and acted just as childishly as Remus expected._

_ "Actin' gentlemanly with the pretty lady, I dearly hope." Sirius said, raising his eyebrows as he took a seat between Remus and his girlfriend. James grinned and took the other seat between them._

_ "Right, guys, this isn't exactly the _best time_ - " Remus started through clenched teeth._

_ "Pish posh, Moony," James scoffed, looking to an expaserated Emmeline. "So, how's it fairing, my good lady?"_

_ "It's fairing _fine_, James," she sniffed, "but I would be better if you would leave me and Remus alone for a while."_

_ Sirius and James frowned grandiosely at each other. _

_ "Do we have to?" James complained._

_ "We want to stay." Sirius added in a whiney tone._

_ "Leave." Remus said through a tight smile._

_ James and Sirius stifled laughter._

_ "I've never seen Remus like this. He must need to say something really important." Sirius said, wiggling his eyebrows. But he stood, which is all Remus wanted._

_ James stood, too, smirking. "Take the best of our luck, Remus, m'boy."_

_ They started to leave. Remus let out a relieved breath and turned to Emmeline once again._

_ "Alright. What I wanted to tell you. I - "_

_ But then Sirius turned, frowning. "Oh, Remus, do you have that Transfiguration essay? It's due tomorrow and I need - "_

_ "FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!" Remus yelled, standing for no apparent reason, and looking down at Emmeline. 'I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU I LOVE YOU_!"

_ Emmeline sat there, shocked, and James and Sirius were not in a much better state._

_ "Okay," Emmeline squeaked after a moment. "I love you, too, Remus, but you don't have to yell."_

_ Remus let out a breath and a shaky laugh. "Yes, well . . . "_

_ Then, Sirius and James did exactly as Remus suspected - they whooped and jumped around like children._

_ "Yeah, get it, Remus!"_

_ "You're finally an official couple! I'm _crying_ tears of _joy_ right now!"_

_ Remus and Ememline exchanged an exasperated glance, and kept their hands clasped tightly around each others under the table._

Green. The color of the ugly-headed jealousy's eyes, buried deep inside Severus Snape.

_A seventeen year old Severus Snape searched the halls of Hogwarts for his ex-best friend, Lily Evans. He would apologize and leave the stupid Voldemort-worshipping clan. He would do it for her, do anything for her. He would do whatever it took, just to be with her. And he if he had to wait forever, he would; if he had to apologize for all time, he would; if he was forced to be only her friend, he would._

_ He would, for her._

_ He finally stopped when he saw two dark spots in the whiteness outside and scrambled down the stairs, knowing it must be her. It must be her with Vance or Meadowes or -_

_ Potter._

_ They were out there, together, and - and Potter was on one knee, looking hopefully up at her. With a ring in his hand. Severus hurriedly ducked behind one of the stone pillars, watching closely for Lily's answer. She had to say no. She couldn't say yes, it'd be the greatest mistake of her life. Her and Potter just didn't go together, and never would. If she said yes, he wouldn't know what to do with himself, he wouldn't know if he could go on -_

_ She nodded, and threw her arms around him, causing them to fall in a laughing pile in the snow. Severus looked away before they kissed, closing his eyes. He rested his back on the pillar and slammed his head lightly against it._

_ What was he supposed to do now? She wasn't his anymore, not even a little bit. She'd moved on, forgotten about their friendship, about how he'd first taught her to use magic, about how he'd made her strong when her sister first started to resent her, forgotten that he was the one who knew her best._

_ She'd forgotten about _him_._

_ Then, something broke inside him. It was the part of his heart that belonged to Lily, which was nearly all of it . . . and he'd never be able to fix it, no matter what he did._

Green. The color that would haunt Peter Pettigrew forever, knowing he was the reason it was the last thing Lily and James saw.

_Peter had made a mistake. Or did he? . . . Did he? He was _protecting _himself, he'd chosen the right side, the side that won._

_ These are the thoughts that plagued his mind as he scurried through the udnergorund sewer, away from where he had just framed his childhood friend, Sirius Black, for the "murder" of him and other civillians. His finger was bleeding horridly, but he was so completely lost in thought, he didn't even notice - which was very unlike Peter Pettigrew, to ignore pain instead of wallow in it._

_ He had killed James and Lily. James, one of his best friends, and now he'd pretty much sentenced his other friend to life in Azkaban. And did Peter regret it? Maybe. . . . But he - he chose the right side and the others were surely foolish to have not. . . . Although . . . although, he could've told them. He could've tried to make them see reason. Reason in survival. And, in order to survive, he had to join the side that would most likely win._

_ Though, Peter knew that the others wouldn't have listened, not with their Gryffindor pride. Peter supposed he was sort of a defect - he wasn't meant to be in Gryffindor._

But that changes nothing_, Peter thought as he wiggled up into another street through a sewer opening, _it was all over. I have no more enemies, except maybe Remus, but that frail thing was nothing to worry about. The Dark Lord would surely take care of him.

_ Peter stopped in his tracks. He was ashamed, and he knew it. He just killed two of his best friends, and there was no denying it._

_ So, Peter bowed his head and let himself mourn them for a while . . . before he scurried off again, always on the quest for the easiest way out - the easiest way to survive._

Green. The color that flashed before his eyes before young Harry Potter watched his mother fall.

_ There was a crashing in the foyer. James and Lily looked around, alarmed, and James seemed to realize before Lily that -_

_ "Lily, it's him! Take Harry and run!" James shouted, pushing her toward the staircase._

_ Lily gripped Harry and sprinted toward the staircase, running to the top before looking back at her husband. He faced a tall, black-hooded figure and James looked back at Lily for a split second, but it seemed like ages. There was no hope for them, and they knew it._

I love you, James_, she thought and tears welled unstoppably in her eyes. She blinked and James was looking back toward Voldemort. Lily ran down the hall toward the nusery._

_ "_Avada Kedavra_!"_

_ She flinched, repressing a sob, and ran into the nusery, slamming the door behind her before setting Harry gingerly in his crib. He looked up at her with his wide, innocent green eyes - she envied him. He didn't know what was going on. He didn't know he was about to lose both his parents. Grief filled Lily as the thought struck her, and love for her baby boy filled her like no other time before. He reached up with his little hands toward her, as if sensing something was wrong. Lily took one of his little hands and stroked his head._

This is it. This is where it ends. . . _, she thought as she stared at Harry._

_ "Mommy loves you, Harry, and daddy does, too, okay?" she whispered, holding his tiny hand to her mouth. "We know you're going to be a great wizard, and just as great a man. I love you, Harry, so much. I won't let him hurt you - I'll protect you. Forever." _

_ The door crashed open and Lily whirled around to face the famous and cruel Lord Voldemort._

_ "No." she breathed._

_ "Step aside." he hissed in a high, unfeeling voice._

_ "No, take me, please! Take me, not Harry!" she pleaded in a last desperate attempt, but she should've known better._

_ Voldemort raised his wand with no mercy in his penetrating red eyes. Then, everything from there seemed to go in slow motion for Lily. Maybe it was because they were her last moments of life - maybe it was because she wasn't ready to leave Harry -_

_ But she knew it was time. So, she clung on to one last thought as she stood stock still and faced her fate._

_ "_Avada Kedavra_!"_

I love you, Harry. . . .

_ A jet of green light shot out of Voldemort's wand._

_ Lily screamed._

_ Harry lay in his crib, unscathed so far at the commotion that had taken place. Suddenly, a dark hood enveloped his vision and he looked up at the intruder with his big green eyes. A cruel smiled formed on the monster's white face and his red eyes were wide with twisted anticipation as he raised his wand to the one-year-old boy._

_ "_Avada Kedavra_!"_

_ Harry Potter did not know that the greatest and most evil wizard of all time had fallen right before his eyes. Harry Potter did not know that he had just made a legend out of himself at only one year old. Harry Potter did not know that his mother had ultimately saved his life simply with her love. Harry Potter did not know that he would spend the first eleven years of his life in a cupboard under the Dursley's stairs. Harry Potter did not even know that he was a wizard yet._

_ Harry Potter did not know, in fact, how much greatness he was yet to achieve._


End file.
